Published: May 19, 2008 11:56 pm            

Seeing Sparks

Passion drives Russell senior on field

FLATWOODS — Russell senior Samantha Sparks sets out on her final high school postseason today in the 63rd District softball tournament. By no means is it an end to her career, but more the final page of one of many chapters in a book about the love of the game.

Sparks’ softball career began in the Little League ranks, continued on to a traveling team and eventually to varsity high school play.

“I think I’ve always stood out more and been better at softball,” said Sparks, who also starred on the Lady Devils’ basketball team. “I love basketball and it’s been great for me to be able to play, but I have a sincere passion for softball.”

After breaking in her cleats at the T-ball level, Sparks moved up to softball at the age of nine.

“I played for the Blue Jays in the Russell-Flatwoods Little League,” she said. “I can still remember my first day of practice and I thought, ‘oh my gosh, I can’t do this,’ but it just kind of went from there.”

After her 12-year-old season, Sparks joined a traveling team based out of Huntington.

“At that point I was like ‘this is really serious.’ I’ve always loved it and the passion just kind of grew with me.”

The passion alone has driven her to keep competing, give 110 percent effort in practice and keep improving her skill.

“Samantha first of all is a competitor and has been since Little League,” said Russell assistant coach Darrell Adkins. “She works really hard at her game and she brings the same effort game after game.”

Adkins should know better than anyone. He’s been coaching Sparks since she was on the Little League All-Stars team.

“There is no weakness in her game. She can hit, catch, throw, run the bases ... The knowledge is there, too. She’s just played a lot of ball and mentally, she knows what it takes to compete and to win at any level.”

Sparks’ numbers alone could do the talking about her high school career. She has a six-year batting average of .427. She’s hitting .483 this year with a .573 on-base percentage and also leads the team in several statistical categories, driving in 29 runs off 43 hits this season.

But as any coach would tell you, there’s more to the sport than just hitting, catching and throwing. Sparks is also one of the most vocal leaders on the team, which has five seniors this year.

“She is the greatest leader I’ve ever had on my team,” said sophomore teammate Ginny Ferguson. “She always works as hard as she can in practice to push everyone else so we can be a better team.”

Sparks’ “lead by example” attitude seems to come natural for the young lady who has spent most of her life around athletics. Her father, Sam, is currently the athletic director at Russell High School but he spent many seasons coaching high school basketball in the area.

“I definitely think that I’ve had an advantage of having a coach as a father because I see the respect his players have given him,” Samantha said. “I’ve never talked back to a coach or been disrespectful. I’m always early for practice and I think seeing what players did to my dad and how it hurt him made me realize I don’t want to be like that.”

There’s also an intimidation factor with Sparks, especially towards opponents, according to fellow senior Katie Ferry, who used to play against Sparks in Little League.

“She’s always intimidating to everyone she plays, even to me,” Ferry said.

Of course, leaving Russell and all of her teammates may be hard for Sparks, who became emotional during Senior Night festivities, according to Ferguson.

“She always tears up, no matter whose Senior Night it is,” Ferry said.

Sparks will continue her softball career close to home, taking her game to Morehead State, something that came as a little bit of a shock to her.

Sparks has watched college softball on television every since she was a young girl and even dreamed of playing on the Olympic Team some day, but it surprised her when her ASA coach brought up sending video tapes of her games out to colleges.

“I thought, ‘You’re going to do that for me?’ I’d watched these girls on TV play and I never thought I’d be that good,” she said.

“For years, Morehead, Eastern and some of those schools wouldn’t look at in-state players and I think this is really going to help the (MSU) program,” Adkins said. “I think she’s going to go there and excel and when she does they’re going to say, ‘Hey, maybe there’s more players here that could play that we haven’t been looking at.’”

Participating with the summer traveling team, the West Virginia Dusters, may have prepared her better than anything for the college level, according to Sparks.

“I’ve went to several hitting clinics but I think most of my talent from the last couple of years has all come from my travel team. It’s been good for me to see those different kinds and levels of softball and see what else is out there.”

Of course, right now all attention has been turned to the pending 63rd District Tournament, with a crucial opening-round game against rival Raceland.

“It’s weird that it’s happened so fast but I think that we are as ready as we could be,” Sparks said.

Last season, Raceland defeated Russell in the first round of the district, ending the Lady Devils’ six-year hold on the regional crown.

“There’s definitely a grudge you could say that I have against Raceland,” Sparks said, also noting some basketball losses to the school. “They’ve always been a rival of ours and I think we really want this.”

With two evenly matched team going head to head, it may just come down to pure determination and heart.

“(Samantha’s) the heart of the team right now and she keeps us going,” Ferguson said. “I feel like since this is her last year, we should play as hard as we can for her. She’s put everything into softball and I think our team should put as much as they can in for her.”

MELINDA ROBINSON can be reached at mrobinson@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2646.

        

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