Purcell’s slow-pitch softball is off to a slow start at 1-5 but head coach Sarah Jones reports she intentionally schedules difficult teams to ready her squad for the playoffs.

“The season has had a challenging beginning, but that's alright,” Jones said. “We intentionally face a tough schedule, and by our second game on Thursday, we were hitting well and showcasing our best defense yet.  We were just hitting it directly to them.

The Dragons have been defeated by ranked teams including  Washington (5A #5), North Rock Creek (5A #4), Dale (4A #1). and Southmoore (6A #4).

“As we work on becoming more at ease at the plate and reducing defensive errors, we're confident that we will evolve into a team that you don’t want to see as the playoff season approaches, when it truly counts,” Jones sad.

Seniors Anika Raper, Ella Resendiz and Hannah Whitaker have been leading by example and wanting to end their high school career where they did in fast-pitch, the coach said.

This season always looks a little different than the fall. We have several girls excelling and competing in track, and with all the events contributing to graduation, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. We have to remember that the game itself isn’t the reason we play poorly or don't get a hit when we want to. It’s the approach to the game and mentality at the plate that gets us where we need to be,” she said.

“We still have a lot of season left to play and we are excited to see how much we grow over these next few weeks,” Jones said.

The Dragons played at Tecumseh against the 5A No. 1 Savages and Harrah on Monday and were to co-host the Washington Tournament on Thursday, with bracket play at Washington on Friday.