Clinton is looking for a strong spring showing in the 2023 season. The Sampson Independent went and previewed what the Dark Horses were looking to bring this year.

Baseball

The weather was melancholy over the Dark Horse stadium but an excited baseball team was still practicing. Coach Scott Lewis was watching his crew warm up their arms and getting some cardio around the diamond. He is looking to be competitive this year, with new additions to the team and retaining solid starters.

Lewis is looking to bolster his team against a strong conference.

“Overall we’ll be competitive this year. I’m looking forward to getting these games going and let these boys compete.”

His concern comes with pitching and he foot-stomped that message.

“As always and this is every year, pitching. Pitching is key and I’ve got guys that can deliver. It’s just a matter of getting them comfortable on the mound and throwing.

In the batting department, Lewis is confident in their plate composure.

“We have some guys who can put the bat to the ball and remain consistent. We’re working with some other players to help them get there, but I’m confident in our ability at the plate.”

They’ll be looking to improve upon their 10-12 record from last year as this season kicks off.

Softball

A young Lady Horses team is looking to take the mantle and enter the 2023 season. Coach Chet Bass has some work to do this year losing a chunk of experience. Hannah Locklear can be heard offering tips to her team on the plate as they run drills. Avery Evans is also a returning player, taking the role of shortstop filling a crucial spot in the infield

The glaring issue is having one pitcher, Locklear. When asked about this Bass said this.

“Right now we only have one, but we are working on some young pitchers. We’re trying to develop them so Hannah is doing all the pitching. All we can do is practice hard and work hard to overcome this.”

Coach Bass is not ignorant to the tough opponents they’ll be facing this season. They have a stout conference ahead and his focus is simple.

“We’re just working to get better each week and do the best we can. They’re all tough and this is a strong conference.”

With a young team and a shortage of pitchers, the Lady Horses will have a mountain to climb in the SAC-7 league. Last year, they posted a 13-9 overall and split the league going 6-6.

Soccer

The Lady Horses had a terrific season, making the long journey to the state championship finals after a 22-game win streak. They’d fall to the undefeated Wheatmore Lady Warriors in the end and take second place in the tournament.

This year, Clinton is looking to improve and snatch the state trophy and finish what they started in the 2022 season. Coach Jeff Smith is looking to seal his final year as coach and add more hardware to the Clinton cabinet.

“We lost girls and we’ve got to replace them and get the new athletes some reps. I’m excited though, because we got the bulk of our team back and we’ve learned a thing or two from last year. I’m sure we are playoff bound and this being my last year, I wanna go out strong.”

He will have AP Sinclair and Ally Sutter who tied last season for most goals at 37 and will be looking to them to help mentor and lead the team to the coveted state title. He acknowledged it won’t be easy.

“We’ve Raleigh Charter and Franklin on our schedules this year, that’s just two teams on our schedule. We are up against good competition and we can hold our own, but anyone can sneak up on you.”

Morale was high while the teams were running passing drills and Smith had this to say about their state of mind.

“The girls experiencing the finals was contagious. We’re hungry for the gold and I can see the eagerness not disappointment after last year.” he says with a laugh. “They’re a quality team and we’ve got a good group with us.”

Last year, Clinton went from 3-2 to finishing out 25-3 and beating out their league handily at 10-0.

Reach Anthony McConnaughey at [email protected] or on Twitter @SampsonSports