PCA’s twin killing: Twins Annie, Amy Beaugh have Lady Eagles flying into playoff
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Twin sisters Annie, left, and Amy Beaugh are two key ingredients in Porters Chapel Academy’s run to the Academy-A state playoffs. Annie is hitting .480 while Amy is hitting .385. The Lady Eagles start state playoff play on Wednesday at noon against North Sunflower at Winston Academy in Louisville. (Jon GiffinThe Vicksburg Post)
[9/23/03The first time Porters Chapel Academy softball coach Kevin Griffin saw Annie and Amy Beaugh swing a bat, they were bashing baseballs at a school field day.
It didn’t take long for Griffin to convince the twin sisters to play on his softball team this fall. And to everyone’s astonishment, it’s taken even less time for them long to turn into stars.
PCA (24-8) battled through the loser’s bracket at last week’s MPSA South State tournament, and will begin play at the double-elimination state tournament Wednesday at noon at Winston Academy in Louisville. PCA’s first game is against North Sunflower.
The Lady Eagles have bettered last year’s win total by seven, gone a step further in the postseason, and are eyeing the first state title in the program’s brief history, and the Beaughs have been a major reason why.
Despite having limited fast-pitch experience, Annie Beaugh is hitting .480 and has committed only eight errors in 127 chances at shortstop. Amy Beaugh has split time between first base and left field, and boasts a .385 batting average.
“I always knew they would have a starting spot because of their athletic ability, but I never would have imagined them blossoming into the top four in our team in hitting,” Griffin said. “Their hand-eye coordination is very good. I’ve never seen either one of those girls back down from a challenge, and hitting in fast-pitch softball is a challenge for anybody that’s new to it.”
The Beaughs had played fast-pitch before, but not a lot. Amy played one season for St. Aloysius before transferring to PCA, and Annie played in a summer league several years ago.
When the sophomores returned to the diamond this fall, neither one knew what to expect.
“I didn’t think I’d be nearly as good as anybody on this team,” Annie Beaugh said.
Their hitting started to come around after a couple of weeks. Both players have produced at the plate all season, and they are two of the top four hitters on the team in terms of average.
More impressively, they also showed a strong knowledge of the game’s fundamentals almost from the beginning and have been solid defensively.
“We’ve always watched the game and been around the game. It just comes from watching, I guess,” said Amy Beaugh, who has committed six errors in 91 chances at first base and left field this season.
When Griffin first talked Amy into playing softball, he envisioned her as a first baseman. She started the season there, and played well, but there was also a need for a left fielder. So Griffin moved Amy to the outfield, but brought her back to first base when that position seemed to be a little weak.
“We couldn’t get our infield as strong as we wanted it, so he moved some people around and it’s improved,” Amy Beaugh said, adding that first base was a tougher position to learn. “You have to learn all the plays, and you have to be more aware and ready at first base.”
Amy has also made an impact on offense. In addition to her batting average which she has raised nearly 20 points in the past month Amy Beaugh has stolen 14 bases and driven in 19 runs.
Griffin said her speed makes her a valuable weapon.
“They both have speed, so they add a big threat to us offensively,” Griffin said. “Anytime Amy gets on first base, you can chalk it up as an automatic double because she’s really learned to run the bases.”
Annie Beaugh, meanwhile, has 25 RBIs this season and has turned into a clutch performer down the stretch. She said it was tough to adjust to the speed of fast-pitch at first.
“All those years I hadn’t been hitting, it came a lot faster than I thought it would,” Annie Beaugh said.
Defensively, she’s also made that adjustment. Also a talented basketball player, Beaugh’s quick feet have helped her stay in front of ground balls and limited her errors.
Griffin said he was worried about putting a newcomer at one of the most difficult positions on the field, but his concerns were eased after one practice.
“I was nervous just to throw her into the fire so quickly, but after I hit her 10 balls at the first practice I knew she was going to be a good fit for us,” Griffin said. “Her approach was very good. Fundamentally, she knew how to approach fielding the ball and made a point of getting everything in front of her that was hit to her, and keeping it in front of her.”
PCA plays North Sunflower in its first game Wednesday, then again at either 3:30 or 5 p.m. If the Lady Eagles win two games on Wednesday, they will continue in the tournament on Saturday.
After battling back to reach the state tournament after losing their first game at South State, Griffin feels the Lady Eagles are ready to make a run this week.
“I don’t know a whole lot about the north teams, but from what I’ve been told softball in south Mississippi is a lot stronger than it is in the north,” Griffin said. “I feel like we played with Franklin, we’ve beaten Amite and River Oaks, so if the south is stronger than the north, that should give us some confidence right there.”