Durant softball fell 4-1 in surprising fashion against Riverview earlier this week, snapping the Cougars’ four-game winning streak and putting them at 13-6 on the year.
After an 18-3 season in 2021, one that included a trip to the regional finals where Durant fell just one game shy of a 6A State Final Four appearance, expectations remained high entering the 2022 season despite the loss of experience across the roster. The Cougars are a much younger lineup this year as three of their four RBI leaders and four of their five hits leaders from last season graduated in 2021, along with some injuries impacting this year’s squad. With that, Durant’s offensive production has predictably not been able to keep pace with their astounding .402 batting average and .602 slugging percentage as a team last year, both good for the third best marks in Florida’s 6A division.
Durant has averaged just under 4.7 runs per game through 19 games this season, anchored by senior leadoff hitter Shelby Allen, a Southern Mississippi commit who leads the Cougars in nearly every offensive category including a team-high .449 batting average, .534 on base percentage, 22 hits, 24 runs, eight doubles and three triples. Behind Allen is junior Emma Chisholm, boasting a .328 batting average, 21 hits, five doubles and a team-high 11 RBIs.
But while the Cougars look to find their groove offensively down the stretch, a strong stable of talented pitchers have kept Durant among the top-ranked teams in Hillsborough County — most recently voted fifth in a coaches poll conducted by baymadefastpitch.com.
“We started off the season pretty strong,” head coach Olivia Cuellar said. “We’re in a very tough district with Newsome being at the top of the district. I feel like we were off to a fast start, we had a couple of injuries that set us back but we’re also a very young team. So we’re still molding, improving our communication and trying to gel as a team.”
Haleigh Thomas threw 69.2 of the Cougars’ 118.1 innings in 2021, striking out 105 hitters en route to a 2.01 earned run average and an 8-2 record. She was primed to carry the torch for Durant’s staff once again in 2022, pitching in each of the Cougars’ first six contests before missing over three weeks due to injury. In her place, junior Amy Bak has been a staple in the pitcher’s circle with a 7-2 record and 1.42 ERA over her team-high 64 innings pitched. Behind Bak, senior Allie Hughes has amassed a 3.07 ERA over 27.1 innings of her own.
“We’re super lucky to have a healthy and lengthy staff behind Haleigh,” Cuellar said. “So having Allie Hughes and Amy Bak really step up, they proved that they can do it just like Haleigh can do it and that we’re not just a one-man show.”
Since making her return to the lineup, Thomas has yet to allow an earned run over her seven innings pitched in Durant’s past two contests. And the addition couldn’t come at a better time as Durant prepares for a grueling final stretch of the season where they will face 8-9 Plant, 9-7 Sickles, 12-4 Bloomingdale, 9-4 Sumner and 15-3 Newsome over their final six regular season matchups.
“We’ve got to step up,” Cuellar said. “Our younger girls have to step up into their roles and we need people to be vocal leaders. Once we get right with our communication, I think we’ll be good.”