Thursday, June 29, 2023 –
Shelbyville Lady Dragon sophomore athletes Taylor Jones and Lanie Bass have been named among the top 50 Class 2A softball athletes by the Texas Coaches Association. The teammates were on this year’s SHS team which went 25-16-1 and finished as the final team left from Shelby County when they lost to Como-Pickton, by a 4-0 run score, on May 25 in the Region III Final, State Quarterfinal round. Bass and Jones also received first team recognition in All District 22 selection this season.
Besides softball Taylor Jones cheers, plays basketball, volleyball and runs cross-country. Lanie Bass cheers as well. Jones plays shortstop and helps with pitching duties. Bass pitches and occasionally plays first or second base when called on. Both players are unsure at this early stage what they will major in or where they might attend college.
This season the Lady Dragons went 8-4 in District 22 2A and went into the playoffs as the number 2 seed from the conference. Jones stated, “We learned a lot this season. After we lost to Timpson we decided we needed to take things more seriously we felt that was a game we could have won.” “Bass added, “After one loss we decided to come out on our own on weekends and do some hitting. After we got past Lovelady, in the first round, we felt really good about our chances.”
Shelbyville Head Softball Coach Ryan Mason said, “Our gameplan is to be selfless and to take the teams we face seriously. When you have 14 young ladies with different personalities together for 150 days, and no personality conflicts, there is a special chemistry.” Mason will begin his third year as head coach at Shelbyville this coming school year. He started his carreer with four years as an assistant at Joaquin after graduating from Stephen F. Austin. He attended high school at Athens and Alto ISD.
The Lady Dragons have almost all their players returning on a team who has proven themselves to be hard workers on and off the field. Talent and high hopes are rightly in good supply for Shelbyville’s next softball season.
