Demorest, GA - With nine inches of snow having dropped on the surrounding area, it doesn't feel like it's softball season quite yet to the folks around Piedmont College as the winter weather chills the air at Walker Athletic Complex.  Try telling that to the nationally ranked Lady Lion softball team who readies to open their 2014 season with a doubleheader against Birmingham Southern College who comes in as highly touted as any in recent years to the Complex.

The Panthers of Birmingham Southern arrive in Demorest bringing back 2013 SAA Player of the Year and NFCA All-American Taylor Bassett who led the SAA last season in home runs and figures to be a crowd favorite when coming to the plate given her power and natural ability.  However, facing such a powerful opponent with talent all over the field is nothing new to Head Coach Terry Martin and his Lady Lions - in fact, it's all too familiar.

"We play against teams that have four, five, six times as many students to choose from that we do, and have so much talent, but our kids don't think about that, they don't focus on it," said Head Coach Terry Martin of his team's focus when facing such a tough opponent.  "They just go out and want to play the game.  Our success starts with the young ladies who come here and play.  It's all about having the right ladies who buy into the program."

Martin knows about buying in and who's on board with his team's philosophy as fans need only look at the last four years with the Lady Lions having gone to three NCAA Regionals in that time frame making it all the way to the finals in the last two appearances before being knocked out of the postseason.  This past season, the Lady Lions competed against nothing but nationally ranked competition at the Salem Regional - against the nation's top teams, all the Lady Lions did was go 3-2 knocking off the #19 team as well as #4 Emory, twice, and fell only to the nation's then-#1 ranked team in Salisbury.

This year, the Lady Lions are ready to continue their tradition of excellence, though they have some spots to fill with the departure of perhaps the program's most decorated four-year class which graduated last spring.  Included in that group was centerfielder Taylor Morgan and almost the entire infield including 1st baseman Megan Kesler, shortstop Megan McClain, and 3rd baseman Jamie Dennis as those four helped Piedmont to a 115-52 record over the last four seasons including last year's record-setting 34-10 season that saw the Lady Lions claim a share of the USA South regular season title in their debut season in the league.

With that mass departure, most coaches would be worried about the direction of their program.  However, no such fear exists in the mind of Head Coach Terry Martin who returns his best two pitchers, senior Brittney Head and sophomore Jordin Ellingson, from a season ago and will look to the two on the mound to give his young pieces trying to replace that senior four from last season a little bit of time to adjust to their new roles.

"It's important to have a good pitcher, it starts there with the in their hand," remarked Martin of the importance of his two pitchers.  "Brittney has the experience having started for us the last three years as she enters her senior year for us.  Jordin has the guts and backbone of a young pitcher who wants to just run you over at the plate.  With the combination of the two, and the experience they have coming in, it's important.  If you got a pitcher, in our sport, you're going to be doing pretty good."

Both Ellingson and Head were All-Region selections last season combining to account for 32 of Piedmont's program-record 34 wins from the 2013 season.  Ellingson as the youngster on the staff favors a power approach striking out better than 100 batters last season while the veteran on the staff, Brittney Head, prefers the contact philosophy and shows the mental edge one would expect of a senior who has been to two NCAA Regionals as she walked just 13 batters - in the entire 2013 season.

However, Brittney isn't the only one in the family showing the experience of a veteran who has been around for a large part of the success in recent years on the diamond for PC.  Her twin sister Lauren is the veteran pitcher's catcher as the two have combined to be become an eerily self-aware pair for long-time Piedmont Coach Terry Martin.

"Both of them (Brittney and Lauren Head) are great young ladies, have great work work ethic, and bring a lot of knowledge to the game," said Martin of his senior, pitcher-catcher twin combo.  "They're good leaders, not dominant leaders, but everybody seems follows them. They're a great combination, and it's fun to watch them because they seem to know what each other are thinking, and it makes it easier on our coaches to let them take the lead, especially important when considering they are our leaders as seniors."

Piedmont won't have to rely solely on their pitching in 2014 though as they return All-Region performer Olivia Duncan who became such a feared hitter at the 2013 Salem Regional, pitchers would rather put her on with a walk than face the talented then-freshman.  Now a sophomore, Duncan is coming off a freshman season where the Madison County graduate hit .431 leading the team in RBIs (41) and doubles (11) as well as slugging percentage with her .569 mark.

"Well I hope that she doesn't put the pressure on herself to have a season like she did last year," said Martin of his youngster's encore season. "If you can have one season like she did as a freshman, you would be happy.  She's a competitor, she's well coached by Doug Kesler in high school, she loves the game and has all the tools.  Everybody would like to hit .400 every year, but it's such an accomplishment to have done so that we just hope she doesn't pressure herself into trying to do too much."

Duncan will certainly have help as a bevy of newcomers arrive to fill the holes left by the 2013 graduating class.  The Lady Lions added 12 newcomers to its 13 returning letterwinners from last season to compose this year's roster, and the word is out on the talent in Demorest as Piedmont is ranked #13 in the nation in the NFCA Preseason Poll and was picked in the USA South Preseason Coaches Poll to win the league one year after sharing the regular season title with Ferrum College. 

Piedmont will have plenty of chances to prove itself worthy of that national ranking as they face an absolute gauntlet to open the 2014 season including the doubleheader opener against Birmingham Southern.  The first four of Piedmont's opponents on the 2014 schedule finished last year with a combined 116-60 overall record in 2013 with none of the four finishing the season with less than 25 wins.

The Lady Lions will get 2014 kicking when they host the Panthers of Birmingham Southern on Sunday, February 16th.  Live stats will be provided as live coverage of the season opener as PC will start things off at noon on the 16th.