Jadyn Hart & Paris Softball Peaking At Right Time

PARIS (KFSM)--"In high school softball, it's all about your pitchers. And ours are, in my opinion, the best of the best."

That's how catcher Sadie Stark sums up the sustained success for the Lady Eagles. And she's not wrong: Paris does have two of the best pitchers in our area, with senior Sydney Ward and sophomore Jadyn Hart.

"I've been playing travel since I was nine, I started when I was two," Hart recalled. "I grew up with my Dad [Paris head coach Donald Hart], he's been my coach since I was young."

The Lady Eagles are 20-5 this season with a 10-1 record in 3A-4 play, with the regional tournament looming next week. And after putting together a 5-0 run last week, Coach Hart likes where the Eagles are at.

"The pitching, they're really coming along and they're giving us their best deal every day out. When they're out on the rubber, they're giving us the best they have. And you know it's at the right time."

Just how dominant was that five game stretch?

"I feel like we've done pretty good, you know it takes nine not just one," said Hart. "But having decent pitching it does help a lot. You know, if your batting is not doing so good, you can go out there and get the job done."

"It's almost like one throws it one way and one throws it the other but that's not true," said Stark, who began catching both pitchers last spring as a junior. "It's just a huge transition between them. They're both so different but they're both so good they make my job easy."

The tandem has been dominant all season, as Paris has let up just 19 earned runs in 25 games.

Paris won its first ever 3A state tournament game last year (5-2 over Walnut Ridge) before falling 8-1 in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Benton Harmony Grove. The Lady Eagles look to repeat as district and regional champions, before setting their sights on the big prize at the finish line.