Ginny Swedenburg knows all about the history.
As a member of the first New Hope High School junior high slow-pitch softball team, Swedenburg, whose maiden name is Lowery, helped a fledgling program led by former coach Cary Shepherd become a state powerhouse with 14 championships.
At 5 p.m. Thursday, Swedenburg knows Shepherd, who died in 2015, will be with her at Lady Trojan Field when the New Hope fast-pitch softball program plays its first junior high games against Kosciusko.
“I remember the pressure just like these girls are feeling,” said Swedenburg, who graduated from New Hope High in 2003 and went on to play softball at Itawamba Community College in Fulton. She also serves as an assistant coach on the school’s varsity softball teams. “It is a lot for you to be on the first junior high softball team. You have a lot of history in the making with your first game. Everybody is watching, and it is a lot of pressure that you put on yourself as a player because you are still young. You’re still in the beginning stages, and you know you are the future of New Hope softball. It is a big deal.”
Swedenburg said the team is scheduled to play two five-inning games today. If the games are rained out, the teams will play them Thursday. She said she has a team of 14 girls who are excited to follow in the footsteps of former players like DJ Sanders, who is a standout at Louisiana-Lafayette, and Lauren Holifield, who is a standout at Southern Mississippi. Those players grew up playing slow- and fast-pitch softball. These days, more players are involved with travel softball to prepare them for the opportunity to continue their careers in college. Teaching the fundamentals of the sport is crucial, Swedenburg said, which is why she appreciates the support of the school administration and the parents of the players for helping to create the junior high program.
Swedenburg said she has used her experience as a player to reassure her junior high players that they don’t need to be nervous and they can let their abilities shine through on the field. She said she, too, will be nervous because she is trying her best to carry on the tradition Shepherd forged with hustle, goodie bags, solid defense, and teamwork.
“It is a bit emotional for me. I feel like she would be proud,” said Swedenburg, who also coached softball at Heritage Academy. In fact, she said Shepherd recommended her for the job. “That is what I am hanging onto the most. It is hard, but I know she will be there with us, and I hope I make her proud. I think about her all of the time, so I hope I make her proud every day I am out there on that field.
“I just want to keep it the way she would have it. I just want to make her proud. That is what I try to do every day I am out there.”
The team will have the same jerseys as the school’s varsity softball team. The Lady Trojans will play a 12-game schedule.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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