Panthers on the prowl

Tate finds new home behind the plate; move pays off in long run:

When head coach Carolyn Deville approached Sara Tate at the beginning of the season and asked her if she would consider moving from the outfield to catcher, Tate’s first thought that came to mind was somewhat
“When coach asked me to move to catcher, I thought she was kind of crazy,” Tate said half-jokingly. “I don’t think that she had ever seen me catch before. I really only started catching this past summer with the Dixie Belle team. But, I was willing to work at it. In the end it wind up being a fun position to play. It is one of the positions on the field that gets to handle the ball almost every pitch.”
Deville must have known something that Tate didn’t. As it turned out the move was not only one of the main reasons why the Lady Panthers were able to get to the quarterfinals this past season, but it also helped earn Tate not only the Parish MVP, but also the District 5-3A MVP selection.
One of the reasons that Tate has taken to her new found position is the ability to work with the pitchers on a daily basis and to help them become better each game out.
“The time to learn your pitchers is at practice,” stated Tate. “Being able to know what exactly it is that they are struggling with during the game is important. That way I can talk to them and help them make the adjustment that they need to get back on track.”
Tate is a real student of the game when it comes to getting a handle on her new place in the field. She is very conscientious about making sure she knows how to address her pitching staff if they get off kilter in any way.
“Whenever we are at pitching practice, I write down everything that coach tells the pitchers,” commented Tate. “During warm-ups before the game or during the game, those notes allow me to let them know what it is exactly that they are doing wrong. I am glad that I can do that for them and help them out.”
When it comes to the mechanics of catching, Tate has a number of resources available to her that gives her the opportunity to continue to improve.
“At pitching practice, the coaches are there to give me tips and to help me understand what I need to improve on,” said Tate. “I also have some former players that caught for Coach Deville that have come out and worked with me also. And, I have also gone on YouTube and watched videos on the proper way to play the position.”
One area that Tate did not have a problem with was her hitting. Tate was masterful at the plate this season, as she blistered the softball hitting .396 on the year, with eight home runs, nine doubles and 39 runs scored.
When asked about her approach at the plate, Tate speaks like a veteran who has been around the game for years.
“It depends on the situation,” stated Tate. “If I am the lead off hitter it is my job to get on any way that I can. If I have runners on the base, I have to move them into scoring position; whether by hitting it to the opposite field or sacrificing. I try to do what is necessary for us to be successful as a team.”
When asked about the season, Tate was very proud of her team.
“At the beginning, I did not know how the season would go, because we were very young,” said Tate. “But, overall I think we had a pretty successful season.”

Deville gives credit where credit is due for successful 2016 campaign:

In the grand scheme of things, the Pine Prairie softball season could probably be summed up in a telling moment after a soul searching loss to Church Point in the middle of district competition.
At that point in the season, the Lady Panthers were 21-5, after starting off 19-0. Deville could see the reaction of her team after that loss and something inside told her that they were not happy.
“When I talk about this, my heart swells with pride,” stated Pine Prairie head coach Carolyn Deville. “We had just lost to Church Point and I could tell that the players did not take that too well; they knew that something was not right. So, when I got back to Pine Prairie, I got a text asking if some of the players could go to the field. I told them okay.”
“When I drove up the field, every player on the team was there,” continued Deville. “And all of a sudden here come a bunch of trucks. It was the baseball team. They had come out to help the team practice. Even the head baseball coach was out here helping out too. I think they were out there until midnight. That was an amazing feeling to see how much pride these players had.”
From that moment on, Pine Praire regained control of their season, going 5-1 down the stretch, including two huge playoff wins at home against Berwick and St. James.
With that, the Lady Panthers were back in the state tournament and looking toward another state championship. Unfortunately, the Lady Panthers suffered a major hiccup, losing to Parkview Baptist in the quarterfinals.
“Even with the loss to Parkview Baptist, I still see that game as a win-win situation for us,” commented Deville. “First of all, just the fact that they now have the experience of earning that berth to the state tournament is huge for us, especially because we return every player but one next year.”
“And secondly,” Deville continued, “even with us not playing well in the quarterfinal game, it gave the players the opportunity to see what a number one seeded team looks like in Class 3A. Now they know what they have to do to move even farther next season.”
Deville pointed to a number of factors that aided in the success of her team this season.
“When you come into a season it is hard to predict how a group of players are going to gel,” said Deville. “The team chemistry is so very important during the course of season, especially when you were as young as we were. But, I could feel from day one that these young ladies were not in it for the individual, but were in it for the team concept. We did have some bumps in the road in terms of injuries, but our players stepped it up when it counted.”
Deville is truly grateful for the amazing job that her assistant coaches did this season and she gives them a tremendous amount of credit for the way the season turned out.
“I am truly blessed to have some good people around me,” stated Deville. “My assistant coaches Woody Harvey and Travis McFarlain have done an outstanding job of getting these girls ready to play this season. Having them out here is such a big help. Their dedication to this program is a major reason for how we play the game.”
With the team basically intact for next season, the sky is the limit for Pine Prairie.