Meeks expects fun senior season with Science Hill

JOHNSON CITY — Softball is meant to be fun. Science Hill senior Isabel Meeks is determined that her senior campaign is going to be a good time. "I am really hoping to just have fun," said Meeks, who is joined on the Hilltoppers by her sophomore twin siblings, centerfielder Ella and shortstop Emma, who is currently out with injury. "This is a game and I feel like a lot of times I put a lot of stress on myself. I just want to have a good senior season with my little sisters... "It is so fun, I love them. I absolutely love them so much." Meeks could be forgiven if she feels the pressure at times, having been in the limelight as a pitcher for the Hilltoppers since her freshman campaign. That is not the case. "I thrive for it, absolutely, I do," she said. "The more pressure on me, the better that I do." She has, admittedly, come far, so much so that she will achieve her dream of playing Division I softball in the fall at East Tennessee State. "My freshman year was a nightmare, it was so bad," Meeks said. "Trial and error, you learn don't put the ball there, if you put the ball over the middle of the plate you are going to get hit. Also, good hitters hit good pitches and you take what you can get.' While the East Tennessee Classic didn't end like Science Hill wanted it to, falling to Boyd-Buchanan, 12-5, in the Blue Ribbon bracket semifinals on Saturday at Winged Deer Park, the Hilltoppers trailed just 4-3 going into the sixth following a solo home run by Meeks before the Buccaneers pulled away, and then defeated Cocke County, 8-1, to claim the bracket finals. "It was a close game. The score is not indicative of the way we played and the way we fought," said Science Hill first-year head coach Josh Edens, whose Hilltoppers returned on Thursday after finishing 3-2 in a tournament in Alabama. "We ran out of gas a little bit there...The thing I am always impressed with this team is their grit. They have got a lot of backbone and we do things the hard way right now, young bunch trying to learn, but their effort and their attitude is phenomenal. We can build on that." Science Hill (10-4), which finished 3-1 in the two-day event, came close to its first state tournament berth last season before falling to Farragut in the sectional round. Meeks is confident they can take that next step forward. "I absolutely think so. We have some key pieces that are missing," Meeks said. "Our starting shortstop is hurt obviously, but once she gets back our defense will make the plays and offensively we will just click and once we click we will be unstoppable." Perhaps no team has had to fill a bigger void to begin the season than Tennessee High (2-4), which finished 1-3 in the East Tennessee Classic, defeating Lakeway Christian and falling to Science Hill on Friday and dropping a pair of decisions to Cocke County, 12-1 and 10-0, on Saturday. Virginia Tech commit Addie Wilhoit has been out with injuries from basketball season, but is slowly getting back into the mix. "She has gotten to be in and out. It is kind of day by day, we are trying to get her reps when we can when she is feeling good," said Tennessee High head coach Jenn Testa, a former head coach at King University, who is back with the Vikings after a three-year hiatus from the dugout. "On days that we need to rest her, we are taking advantage of that so hopefully as the season progresses and she starts getting better and better and builds that up, the hope is that will have her down the stretch. "We are trying to get her moments and opportunities early on so we are not throwing her in the fire at the end. Obviously she is a great ball player, she definitely really helps us both offensively and defensively. I thought the girls who have come in and stepped up in moments when she hasn't been able to go have done a really good job as well." Meeks does more than just pitch for the Hilltoppers. She hit a home run in each of the two games on Saturday, which certainly brought a smile to the talented senior, who admittedly got a little tired in the sixth inning as the Buccaneers pull away from that one-run advantage. "They can really hit the ball," Meeks said. "There is a point in pitching where it is like you are tired and once you get past that you just can't go anymore. I have thrown so much in the past few days, I am tired, but I have a couple of days to rest to recuperate." While Edens will look to give Meeks some relief in the circle going forward with the use of sophomores Piper Brewer and Kyleigh Metcalf, there is no doubt where the ball is going when it counts most. "Isabel is our rock, she came into this thrown to the wolves as a freshman," Edens said. "She has got a lot of veteran savvy, a lot of experience. You would be hard-pressed to find a better leader for your program."