When Coach Tyler Parvin joined Jackson Academy four years ago, the softball team could not have a varsity team because there weren’t any players above the ninth grade. During the 2022 season, the team graduated one senior and had 13 sixth graders play, with other teammates coming from grades in between. “I saw our older girls take the sixth graders under their wing and welcome them into softball like big sisters,” Coach Parvin said.
It was a monumental season for these Lady Raiders. This season the team accomplished more wins than the last three years combined. The team broke the school record for runs scored in a game with 28 runs. Layla Farmer broke the school record for most hits in a game with seven.
Coach Parvin hopes that the growth he has seen over the last four years will continue and the team will become more and more competitive. He hopes the younger players see girls who not only have fun and enjoy playing together but a group of girls working hard to build a foundation for the softball program.
Senior Anna Lauren Parker celebrated her senior night during the Lady Raiders’ last home game against Presbyterian Christian School on September 26. Her number was painted on the field for the game with an eight in the outfield grass. Parker was named a MAIS Softball All-Star this year.
Coach Parvin says when he and Anna Lauren Parker started four years ago, they had a lot of work to do. Four years later, they are in a much better place. “Most of that is credit to her,” he says. “I could not have asked for someone better to lead this team this year.”
