MORRISTOWN, TN – There's a new face in the dugout for the 2025 Walters State softball season, as Britney Purser is set for her first season as head coach of the Lady Senators.
Purser replaced longtime coach Larry Sauceman this summer and is excited for her first season in charge. Purser is joined by assistant coach Sierra Frazier, who joined the staff in the fall.
"My mindset heading into the season is to compete," Purser said. "Every game, every inning, every pitch, every at bat. Never lay down to anyone. This team knows they have the talent to go far this year, and we have to push ourselves every game and give our best. When we are at our best, we are unbeatable. Having girls with a selfless mentality that are focused on the team's success will ultimately be what separates us from everyone else. I am here to motivate and push them to be their best while putting them in a position to win games. Ultimately, it is up to them how far we go this season."
Purser's team was tested this fall, as they prepared for the spring season. The Lady Senators took on three teams inside the NCAA Preseason Top 25 in No. 5 Tennessee, No. 8 Duke and No. 14 Georgia. Walters State also played James Madison, Austin Peay, ETSU and many others throughout the fall.
"I feel like preseason went well," Purser said about the fall season. "We had a lot of freshmen show up big time, especially in the circle. We played some of the best softball teams in the nation and competed with all of them. While the score didn't always go in our favor, we learned valuable lessons and the girls got to experience some great softball in some incredible stadiums. We allowed every single player on the team to showcase their skills against every team they played. I believe this will be valuable to us as we will have a team of players with experience in case we have any players go down with injury."
While Purser's face is new for Walters State, the Lady Senators have some returning pieces from last year's team that finished seventh at the NJCAA DI World Series.
The main returnee for the Lady Senators at the plate is Brooklyn Copley. Copley was named All-TCCAA First Team last season after hitting 20 home runs and driving in 60 runs. Copley is expected to be a big piece to the Lady Senators' lineup this spring when she is able to return from a preseason injury.
"I believe Brooklyn could have a huge impact this year," Purser said. "At the moment she is recovering from an injury but when she returns, I am confident in her abilities to lead this team, especially in the lineup. She does a great job of giving her all every second that she has the chance. Having her in the lineup will make this team 10 times stronger. We are hoping to get her back quickly."
Two other returnees in the field are Nora Mack and Imari Golden. Mack played in 57 games last season, hitting .410 with five home runs, 53 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. Meanwhile, Golden played in 56 games last season, hitting .335 with three home runs and 29 RBI.
"Nora is a great vocal leader," Purser said. "She is constantly pushing her teammates and requiring their effort. Imari leads by example. She shows what it means to have fun on the field while also being an incredible athlete. I expect great things from her this season."
Other returnees in the field include Kendal Mason, who hit .400 in the World Series last year, Emma Keck and Sarah Short.
In the circle, Makayla Ramsey is back after going 7-2 last season in 20 appearances. Ramsey struck out 23 batters in 73.1 innings and had a 3.15 ERA.
Emma Myatt also returns in the circle after appearing in seven games last season. Myatt went 1-1 with a 5.86 ERA.
"Emma Myatt will be a huge factor for us in the circle," Purser said. "She competes every chance she gets and has the will to win every time she steps in the circle. She refuses to lose, and I love that. Makayla is very similar with her mindset and refusal to lose. She is going to lead this team in the circle and push her teammates as well. Our pitchers are incredible this year, and we don't just have one. We have a pitching staff that's going to be able to carry us."
In terms of freshmen, Walters State will rely on multiple to start and play significant innings. Some of those include Alayna Ross, Lauren Ruehl and Summer Smith in the circle and in the field, Addison Beech in center field and Randi Delong at first.
"We have some incredible freshmen, many of which will be starters this year," Purser said. "Alayna Ross is another pitcher that can carry this team. She's got some great movement and can fool people while in the circle. She also has a big bat and will be in the 3-5 part of our lineup. She is diverse and can also play third, first or outfield. Randi Delong is a corner infielder who has a huge bat. I expect her to lead us offensively and defensively. Lauren Ruehl is a pitcher and 1B who has another huge bat. If all three of these freshmen are consistent at the plate, we are going to be extremely hard to beat.
"Summer Smith is another pitcher for us that I believe will help us in the circle. She has great command of the zone. She can give us a chance to compete and rally behind her. And Addison Beech is a freshman outfielder who will be an amazing asset to us this year. She has speed and is a lefty slapper who can also hit for power. She will likely be in our leadoff spot. Excited to see what she does."
Other freshmen for the Lady Senators are Abbie Young, Faith Whited, Allie Seritt, Allie Jones and Brenna Hunley.
The schedule is a tough one for Walters State, taking on six teams ranked in the NJCAA DI Softball Top 25. Those teams are No. 1 and the defending National Champion Indian River State, No. 7 Florida Southwestern State, No. 15 Chattanooga State, No. 17 Seminole State College, No. 20 Sante Fe College and No. 23 Gaston College.
The Lady Senators find themselves in the rankings, as well, ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll.
"The early competition for us will benefit us incredibly," Purser said. "I am a big advocate for playing the best of the best. It's going to show us where we stand as a team. If we can compete against those types of teams, it tells me we have an incredible chance not only in our conference but also regionally and nationally."
In terms of goals, Purser has three specific goals for her team that she feels, if they can accomplish at least two of them, they will be hard to beat.
"Our goals this season are to have a pitching staff ERA under 3.00, team batting average of .300 and team fielding percentage of .900," Purser said. "If we get 2/3 of these goals, we become hard to beat. This team is capable of a lot this year, and I will hold them to that standard. We want to win games, and in order to do that, we need to take care of the little things. I am excited to see them compete."
The season starts on Friday as Walters State travels to take on Tallahassee State in a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 and 4 pm ET.