Things are feeling different for Crestview softball.
The Lady Bulldogs started 1-3, dropping games to strong Tate and South Walton squads along with a home loss to Navarre. But since then, Crestview has reeled off three straight wins, including a run-rule victory over Gulf Breeze, a shutout revenge win at Navarre and a run-rule victory over Choctaw.
Head Coach John Toolan believes the Navarre loss at home lit a spark in his team.
- “We really feel like we should’ve won the game at home against Navarre, and then we went to their place and shut them out, and I think that’s what really started this, and they’re starting to believe in themselves,” Toolan said.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped a district game to Pace on Tuesday night, 9-0, against a Patriots squad sitting at 9-1 on the season. But the loss doesn’t take away from the progress Crestview has made over the past few weeks.
The strength of the Lady Bulldogs’ turnaround has been their hitting core. Riley Copeland leads the way with 12 hits and 10 RBIs. Two-way standout Cambell Toolan has collected seven hits and 10 RBIs while also anchoring the pitching staff with a 3.10 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Presley Houser has added nine hits and four RBIs, while Taeia Schriner and Ava Secor have each contributed eight hits.
Coach Toolan attributes the offensive surge to a simple shift in mentality.
“It’s confidence. You’ve got to have confidence at the plate. You’ve got to attack the pitches,” he said. “So when they’re playing with confidence, they’re freeing up and swinging the bat.”
Defensively, Schriner, Copeland and Secor have all been solid contributors as well.
Toolan said he’s been impressed with the way the group has come together and their faith in one another, but he wants to see his team bring that intensity every time out.
- “We’ve just got to play every game like it’s our last and stay focused,” he said.
At 4-4, the Lady Bulldogs still have games ahead in district play. But the three-game winning streak showed what Crestview is capable of when they’re locked in, and the kind of run this program hasn’t put together in some time.
