Varsity schedule
Aug. 14, vs. TBA at Tattnall Tournament, TBA
Aug. 15, vs. TBA at Tattnall Tournament, TBA
Aug. 18, at Wayne County, 4:30 p.m.
Aug. 20, home vs. Long County, 4:30 p.m.
Aug. 25, at Tattnall County, 5:45 p.m.
Aug. 29, at Thomson*, 12 p.m.
Sept. 1, home vs. Tattnall County, 4 p.m.
Sept. 4, home vs. West Laurens*, 5 p.m.
Sept. 11, at Burke County*, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 18, home vs. Baldwin*, 6 p.m.
Sept. 21, home vs. Statesboro, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 22, at Long County, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 24, at Richmond Hill*, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 30, home vs. Wayne County, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 1, home vs. Richmond Hill*, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 3, home vs. Washington County*, 12:30 p.m.
*Region games
Junior varsity schedule
Aug. 18, at Wayne County, 6 p.m.
Aug. 25, at Tattnall County, 4 p.m.
Sept. 1, home vs. Tattnall, 5:45 p.m.
Sept. 9, at Bryan County, (DH), 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 14, home vs. Brantley County (DH), 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 16, home vs. Richmond Hill, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 24, at Richmond Hill, 5:45 p.m.
Sept. 30, home vs. Wayne County, 6 p.m.
Oct. 1, home vs. Richmond Hill, 5:45 p.m.
Kristina Johnson hit the ground running last season when she took over as the junior varsity coach for the Liberty County Lady Panther softball team.
It was her first year as a coach, her first year teaching math, but not her first time on the diamond.
Johnson played at Savannah Christian, where her dad is still the softball coach. After high school she played for Armstrong Atlantic State University for two seasons. She finished her degree in mathematics at the University of North Carolina and took a brief time off when she had her child.
When the teaching and coaching job opened at LCHS, Johnson said she jumped into the task of running the junior varsity just as the 2008 season was getting underway.
With a year behind her, Johnson said Monday’s tryouts and this year’s squad would be a whole lot different from last year’s.
"One thing I saw last year was a lack of hustle and drive from the girls," she said. "And I’m going to try and implement that a whole lot more this year, starting with tryout."
She said the Lady Panthers have no room for lackluster players. Those players don’t have what it takes to make the final cut, let alone have what it takes to progress from the JV squad to varsity.
"Those aren’t the girls that will be able to make that leap to begin with," she said. "They are not going to want to try or hustle and work for it. My main goal today and the next few days is to find the girls that have that drive, the one’s that are not going to quit on me."
The coach said her expectations are high and she plans to challenge the players to be the best they can be on and off the field, throughout the school year
"You can’t just can’t go out there and throw balls around," she said. "You challenge the players and test their skills. You throw the ball right at their chest and check their reaction, if they miss it’s OK as long as they tried. But you have to have that expectation so they can reach that expectation. You break them down to build them up and that is exactly what I’m doing."
Johnson said she thinks this year’s squad will be able to produce a winning season.