Covering All Bases

Rockets Softball looking forward to a winning season

By Rachel Davis Karr

Going into her second year as Gardendale’s softball coach, Kyndall White is optimistic about her team.

“This year, I’m extremely excited about our young core that we have,” White said. “I’m really excited about the possibilities we have throughout our lineup with speed and power. We have a really strong defense, and a lot of young kids in a lot of areas that are going to be beneficial to us. I think that is our strength–we have a young, talented group of kids–very athletic, smart and they know the game. We’re going to be very strong defensively and I think we will have a lot of speed that we haven’t

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Gardendale’s talented young players will be led by the five seniors who include several power hitters and key field positions.

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In White’s first year, the team was cochampion in region play, runner up in the area and, overall exceeded all the goals their coach had set. White remembers though the season didn’t quite go her team’s way, she also said many of the losses last year were close games, leaving her optimistic about this year.

The team lost five seniors last year, including two heavy hitters for the team, one of those being starting pitcher Natalie Snow. Sophie Gant will be the new starter. She split innings with Snow last year, so she is an experienced pitcher, but who will be second and third string pitcher is currently up in the air.

Overall, while White says some of the players who graduated last year will be a challenge to replace, she believes this team, and this year’s seniors are something special.

“I’m going to miss them when it’s all said and over for the senior class,” White said. “They are great kids, and they have been in this program for a really long time. I have been blessed to coach them for two years and see them grow. They are the glue that holds this team together.”

While her seniors have a special place in her heart, White is proud of the whole team and ready for the season to start.

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“I’m excited about seeing these kids play,” White said. “The culture they have built this season with competing, caring about each other, having accountability, wanting to get better. That’s what I’m excited about.”

“I just really think that we have a bunch of young kids that have really understood the goals of what me and Coach Tori Brown have set out there and the standards of what this softball program has had for many many years,” White said. “I really think they have taken ownership of that so I’m excited to see all of that transfer over to the field in the Spring.”

But White isn’t just excited about their performance on the field, she is also proud of the young women she has watched grow for the last two years.

“It being my second year here, my goal this year was to allow our girls to get out there in the community and make a difference,” White said. “We went to Snow Roger Elementary School on their club day and got to hang out with some amazing kids that are interested in softball and wanting to learn.”

“We’re excited to represent the community, and we look forward to going out there and playing hard and doing everything we can to bring a championship back here to Gardendale,” White said.

Highlighting the Partnership Between the City of Gardendale and Sports Facilities Companies

The City of Gardendale has partnered with Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) under the leadership of Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland and Account Executive John Sparks to manage and staff the new Bill Noble Park in Gardendale. The staff at Bill Noble Park is hard at work planning for the Grand Opening and daily operation of the park.

Sports Facilities Companies also partners with two other cities in Alabama, Hoover and Albertville, to help manage the operations at the Hoover Met and Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater.

Join us on March 11th for the Grand Opening Event at the new Bill Noble Park!

Bill Noble Park Staff

Our staff is ready to serve every visitor at Bill Noble Park with a smile and ensure that each guest has an amazing experience with each visit. Please visit our website for more information about Bill Noble Park or reach out to one of our staff members today

Website: billnoblepark.com

Will Mayhall, General Manager wmayhall@billnoblepark.com

Jesse Newsom, Business Development & Sponsorship Manager jnewsom@sportsfacilities.com

Caeley Guthrie, Marketing Manager caeleyguthrie@billnoblepark.com

Austin Pearson, Events Manager apearson@sportsfacilities.com

Katrina McLaughlin, Finance Manager kmclaughlin@billnoblepark.com