[8/11/03]Porters Chapel Academy will try to see if a major subtraction can add to its win total this season.

The Lady Eagles lost one of the top hitters in Mississippi, Courtney Angel, who hit .658 last season, but have a more balanced lineup overall, coach Kevin Griffin said.

The extra threats sprinkled throughout the lineup should help the team improve on its total of 17 wins in 2002.

PCA opens its season today at 4:00 against Humphreys at Bazinsky Park.

“We’re going to be better one through nine this year in our lineup than we were at any point during the season last year,” Griffin said. “This year we’ve got just as good of bats at the bottom of the lineup as we’ve got at the top. There won’t be an easy out, one through nine.”

The Lady Eagles’ biggest addition is Vicksburg High transfer Lauren Johnson. The sophomore first baseman and pitcher hit a team-best .431 with 16 RBIs for VHS during the spring fast-pitch season, and also brings a second arm to the circle to spell senior Betsy Bryan.

Johnson went 5-3 for VHS in the spring, with 25 strikeouts and a 3.61 ERA in 54-1/3 innings.

The Lady Eagles went 2-2 at the South State tournament last fall, and Griffin believes the extra firepower will give PCA a chance to move on to the state tournament. The top four teams at the South State tournament advance.

“This year, we’re playing 30 regular-season games and I’m setting our goal at at least 22 wins. I really feel like 22 is something that I’ll be disappointed with if we don’t get this year,” Griffin said, adding his goals for the postseason are also high. “My goal is to get out of South State and advance to the Class A tournament and then see what happens.”