GREENSBORO, February 7, 2008 – North Carolina A&T’s softball team won 30 games last season. The Aggies had the top batter and home run hitter in the conference. They even had the best run scorer in the entire country. They made a remarkable run to the MEAC championship game before falling short of winning the program’s first-ever conference title.

They did all of it with eight freshmen playing a vital role. So with all those wonderful, talented players returning, what is concerning N.C. A&T head coach Mamie Jones?

The past.

Jones has perhaps her strongest team in her 14-year tenure with the Aggies. But with youthful success comes high expectations the next season. Therefore, perhaps her biggest challenge other than winning games on the field this season, is keeping her young team focused on what needs to happen in the now and not on what they accomplished last season.

The Aggies start the 2008 season on Saturday in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge held in Marietta, Ga. The tournament is in honor of recently deceased Hampton softball Tiny Laster.

“If I mention last year, I bring it up to discuss where we need to improve from 2007,’’ said Jones. “But we need to get past 2007. “Being a young team we need to work on maturity, being consistent, working hard and perfecting our skills.”

But it’s hard not to revel in what the Aggies achieved in 2007 with such a young team. A year ago, the Aggies put up impressive offensive numbers not seen before in the programs history. The Aggies led the conference in slugging percentage (.496), runs scored (411), hits (536), RBIs (334), home runs (56) and total bases (822).

Nationally, the Aggies were third in the country in runs; fifth in the country in batting average (.323); ninth in slugging percentage and 35^th in home runs. Four of the Aggies eight returning sophomores were All-MEAC performers with shortstop Yahamma White and second baseman Lillian Bullock making first team.

Jessie Larson earned second team honors as a first baseman, and record-setting pitcher Sasha Philpot did the same. White led the nation in runs per game (1.27) and was first in the MEAC in batting at .432. Bullock led the MEAC in home runs with 17 (she also became the Aggies all-time leader in home runs in one season) and was tied with Larson for the RBI lead in the conference with 56.

Meanwhile, Philpot won a school-record 18 games and struck out 115 batters.  “They didn’t know any better,’’ said Jones. ”As freshmen, they just went out and played. We were very loose. But we are not the same team we were last year. We are not the surprise team anymore. Our opponents know who we are, what we do well and what we don’t do well. If we want to be a good team this year, we’re going to have to make adjustments when teams adjust to us.”

The Aggies have already started making those adjustments. Jones brought in four more talented recruits in outfielder Ryanne Hill, infielder Antoinette Torres, junior college transfer pitcher Zapora Gaston and pitcher/infielder Jennifer Luper. She also wanted to take some pressure off of Philpot so she added to her rotation by brining in Gaston and Luper. White, Bianca Alsobrook and Channing Statham will continue to develop as pitchers and will be used more this season in relief roles.  

Two new assistants were also added. Earnest Washington came in from Grambling to free Jones to do more strategizing. She also brought back an Aggie great in Latronda Anderson – N.C. A&T’s all-time strikeout leader – to work with her numerous pitchers.

Jones’ final adjustment before the season is at the catcher position. The Aggies lost versatile player and catcher Tabitha Veney to graduation. Therefore, she had to do some shuffling with her infield. Larson, who made just four errors at the first base position last season, will move to catcher this season. That will leave the starting first base job open for either Statham or Alsobrook. Third baseman Tangala Conover will back up Larson at catcher.

As the season continues, she hopes her players will adapt in a certain area as well. “I would hope that leadership will come from within,’’ said Jones.

“I hope within the group someone will step up and help to lead the team. There are people on the team who I believe can fit the role. It is just a question of whether they step up and do it.  Everyone wants to be a part of the team. That’s not a problem. But I don’t have anyone stepping out ahead of the pack.”

The Aggies do have two seniors on the team in outfielders Chaola Simmons and Sylvia Felder. Simmons enters her fourth season as the Aggies lead-off hitter. She has shown and played almost every game for Jones. Simmons has started 156 of the 157 games she has played as an Aggie. She has 99 career runs scored, she is a career .293 hitter and she has stolen 40 bases.

Felder discovered some pop in her bat in 2007. She recorded career best in every statistical category, including a career-best .282 batting average. She also hit her first career home run last season and had six doubles and five triples. But all of that happened last year.

“We can’t get distracted, ‘’ said Jones. “We have to set goals and know what it is going take to obtain those goals.”