Ooltewah Softball Ranked No. 33 In MaxPreps Preseason Top 50

Star Player Boseman Earns Spot On Publication's All-America Team

  • Wednesday, February 22, 2017
  • Larry Fleming
Kayla Boseman
Kayla Boseman
photo by Dennis Norwood/File Photo

Ooltewah’s softball team is ranked No. 33 nationally in the Maxpreps Preseason Top 50 and junior Kayla Boseman is on the website’s preseason All-America team.

The Lady Owls finished third in the 2015 TSSAA Class 3A state tournament, but was eliminated by Stewarts Creek 6-2 in the sectional. Ooltewah has a combined record of 81-16 over the past two seasons.

Coach Jon Massey returns eight of nine starters, including Boseman, third baseman Mabry Carpenter, first baseman Aubbie Collake, second baseman Shelby Sutton and Tyler Sullivan.

“Obviously, Maxpreps giving us recognition is great, but it puts a bulls-eye on us,” Massey said. “We’ve got talent and we have to come together and make sure we’re all on the right page.”

Boseman, who committed to Mississippi State before her freshman season, is the Lady Owls’ headline talent. She batted .589 and belted 21 home runs and drove in 89 runs. She had 43 extra-base hits during her sophomore season.

In the circle, went 19-4 with a 2.04 ERA and struck out 194 in 127 innings.

Boseman made MaxPreps’ preseason all-America team as a utility player. She was the publication’s freshman of the year in 2015.

Carpenter batted .420 and had 45 RBIs last season.

Sutton batted .412 and scored 56 runs.

Collake, who will be a preferred walk-on at UT-Chattanooga in 2018, batted .387 and drove in 40 runs.

Sullivan, a right-fielder who drove in 47 runs, had labrum surgery in December and has not been able to do much preseason work to this point.

Boseman has missed the last week or more after suffering a back injury in a car accident. She scheduled to have a re-examination later this week or early next week in hopes of being released to practice.

“That’s our three-hole and six-hole hitters,” Massey said. “That’s a lot of RBIs and runs scored between those two players.”

Massey said the Lady Owls will play a scrimmage game at Polk County on Thursday.

“We need to get outside and we’re supposed to have rain over the weekend,” Massey said. “We have to play Ooltewah softball and not worry about what other people are saying about us. Soddy-Daisy will be really good this year and we’ll see some other outstanding teams as well.

“Hopefully, we’ll still be standing when we need to be standing at the end.”

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

 

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