The 2014 season was a break out season for the Lady Bluebirds from Highlands High school! Going 27-13 with a 19 game winning streak!

 

Coach Coffey put together a challenging schedule in his words that would get them ready for the end of season tournaments!

 

 

Mar 17th- at St. Henry Won 17- 3

Mar 20th- vs Newport Central Catholic Won 6- 0

Mar 21st- vs Ryle Lost 1- 5

Mar 24th- at Harrison, OH Lost 3- 8

Mar 27th- vs Bellevue Won 15- 0

 

*Uncle Pete Knoll Invitational at Softball City

*Mar 28th- vs Knoch, PA. lost 6-5

*Mar 28th- vs Campbell County Won 11-1

*Mar 30th- vs Holy Cross Won 13 - 1

*Mar 30th- vs Boone County Lost 3- 6

*Mar 30th- vs St. Henry Won 3-2

 

Apr 9th- at Bishop Brossart Won 4- 3

 

**Jaguar Classic at East Jessamine

**Apr 11th- vs Rockcastle County Won 4- 0

**Apr 12th- vs Ryle Lost 0- 12

**Apr 12th vs East Jessamine lost 5-14

 

Apr 16th- at Notre Dame Lost 3- 5

Apr 18th- Milford, OH Lost 0 - 10

Apr 18th- at Milford vs Lakota East Lost 2-5

Apr 21st- Boone County Lost 3- 10

Apr 22nd- at East Central, IN Lost 6- 8

Apr 23rd- Scott Won 11 - 1

Apr 29th- at Conner Won 8- 2

May 1st- Campbell County Won 13- 6

May 2nd- at Newport Central Catholic Won 4- 2

May 3rd- at Turpin, OH Won 1- 0

May 6th- Dayton Won 12-0

May 7th- at Newport Won10 - 0

May 8th- Holy Cross Won 11 - 0

May 9th- Lloyd Memorial Won 14- 0

May 12th- Bishop Brossart Won 11 - 1

May 13th- St. Henry Won 14- 4

May 15th- Beechwood Won 13- 4

May 17th- at Ryle Won 6 - 4

 

36th District Tournament

May 21st- Dayton Won 16 - 1

May 22nd- Newport Central Catholic Won 2-1

36th District Champions

 

9th Region Tournament

May 26th- Holy Cross Won 14- 0 (W)

May 27th- Boone County Won 6 - 3

May 29th- Notre Dame Won 8- 7

9th Region Champions

 

KHSAA State Tournament

Jun 5th- Estill County Won 4- 1

Jun 6th- Apollo. Lost 2- 12

Jun 6th- Ashland Lost 0 - 12

 

At the beginning of each year I am sure every team sets goals! This team raised the bar for Highlands teams in the future! I think it's fair to say they wanted to be in the discussion with the Perineal powers in the 9 th region, as it has been said on this discussion board many time if you want to be in that group you have to beat the best, and until you do so you are part of the rest!

 

Somewhere about April 20th the team had a major bridge to cross on a ugly losing streak where they were simply not getting it done! The team had a meeting where they voted to decide to make each player accountable. In other words focus on your job stop making mental mistakes don't worry about what so and so is doing that's the coaches job! Simply do your job!

 

It is the first game at birdcage (the new field) on April 21st vs Boone County the girls are ready to kick in the door with a new field along with the zero tolerance policy. Just focus and do you job! OOPS, By the 2nd inning 4 or 5 starters had been pulled for missing signs or backing up throws or missing cut offs it was simply ugly and a trip to the wood shed losing to Boone County 3-10! I believe at the end of this game something clicked with the girls they either do their job or somebody else will!

 

The next day they traveled to East Central Indiana and seemed to really come together, actually picking each other up even though they lost 6-8 from afar it seemed as if they were coming together as a team and coming to grips with the do your job concept!

 

Over the next 13 games they went 13-0 out scoring there opponents 128-24 with a couple key wins over 9th region powerhouses Conner and Ryle somewhere along the way they truly started to BELIEVE they belonged in the discussion with the best teams in the 9th Region and were on a roll heading into Districts.

 

We were at a Baseball tournament on Sunday the day after a big win vs Ryle to end the regular season when Kendall got a text that Bailey Spencer was rushed to the hospital and would be having surgery to have her appendix removed. Thankfully they later got good news that she is going to be OK but done for the year and obviously the girls would have to play without one of there teammates.

 

The next girl up was 8th grader Miranda Mason who stepped in and pitched great in the District Tournament earning the tournament most valuable player only allowing 2 runs! The offense continued to role scoring 18 in two games along with near perfect D to make the streak 15 in a row heading into Regionals!

 

In the first game of Regionals Miranda Mason threw the first perfect game in Highlands history without a strike out. The girls scored 14 runs and played flawless D extending the streak to 16 in a row!

 

Word came out the day of the Boone County game that Bailey Spencer had thrown at home over the weekend and was pain free and had received medical clearance and she would pitch vs Boone! Not that Miranda hadn't pitched great over the last week, but it gave the girls new energy that the young lady who had given up less than a run per game (5 shut outs) over that end of season streak was back and going to pitch vs Boone County! The semi Final was a 6-3 win over Boone Co. Extending the streak to 17 in a row!

 

Regional Championship Game vs Defending champion Notre Dame with a bunch of seniors and one of the best Pitchers in the state Haley Smith who had one hit the same Highlands Team last year in the Semi Finals of the Regional Tournament.

 

The team believed they belonged on this stage yet in the top of the first inning ND scored 6 which seemed to take the girls breath away, but somehow they still believed. Coach Coffey told the girls to score 9 and let's see what happens! I told people around me this is just going to add to the story when they come back and Win this game! The rest is history and been discussed on previous threads!

 

Highlands had won there first Regional Championship while extending that streak to 18 wins in a row! They had scored 28 runs in the regional tournament which turned out to be the highest 3 game total in Region history while allowing 10!

 

The first game of the State tournament vs Estill County extended the streak to 19 wins in a row beating them 4-1!

 

The winning streak ends at 19 when they ran into Owensboro Appollo who hit 6 Homeruns!

 

The season ended with the next game vs an Ashland team that had just escaped elimination vs Johnson Central. The young lady from Ashland who was earlier in the week named The Gatorade player of the year Threw a1 hitter vs the Lady Bluebirds to end the season!

 

It turned out to be a great season and my DD was lucky enough to have been a part of this team what a GREAT SENIOR year and I was lucky enough to have a birds eye view!

Great review. :thumb:

 

With what the Birds return for next year it looks like they are a pre-season contender to repeat.

 

Congratulations to all my "cake eating" brethren on a GREAT season. :notworthy:

Awesome recap Four King Crazy!

 

Highlands had a magical season in 2014. Great job girls! Great job to the staff and to Coach Rob!