By TIM GUERCIO

The Natchez Democrat

VIDALIA — The Vidalia Lady Vikings softball team has a 14-8 record so far this year.

With four games left in the regular season and then the playoffs, Head Coach Forrest Foster said he believes the team can surpass the record of 17-7 that his team had in 2014.

“That was the best record of any team since 2003,” Foster said.

The Lady Vikings start five seniors in the field, and all five have been starters for all four years of their high school careers, Foster said.

“We have been developing now for four years,” Foster said.

The starting seniors are Skylar Adams, Shelbi Cross, Sara Cockerham, Macie Seyfarth and Tiffany Brewer.

“We have had a strange season by which earlier in the year we lost six games in a row, then recently we won seven in a row,” Foster said. “Part of our problem this year was all the rain. All we could do was go indoors and take batting practice.”

The other coaches who work just as hard as the players are Jackie Johnston, Beth Guedon and James Thomas.

“They are the ones throwing batting practice to our team, working on our bunting drills and throwing soft toss,” Foster said.

Foster said some of the other reasons for the team’s success this year include:

*Cockerham’s pitching has been consistent and that gives Vidalia batters at the plate confidence.

*Seyfarth has caught every game this year and knows Cockerham’s pitches very well.

“Macie knows how to call Sarah’s game from behind the plate,” Foster said.

*Cross at first base has been catching everything all year, even picking up bad throws.

*Brewer is hitting the ball almost every time at the plate. She can find the gaps in the defense and get base hits to those gaps.

“Tiffany always has been a solid outfielder, when the ball is hit to her I’m never worried about it,” Foster said. “She looks for her pitch at the plate now, too.”

With the single elimination playoffs coming up soon, Foster said he has been busy keeping up with opponents’ power rankings.

“I can go online and find a common opponent to know which teams are the better teams,” Foster said. “We want to be ready for the playoffs.”