BROOKLET — The Lady Yellow Jackets easily flew by Screven County in the first game of the regular season Monday night.
    Starting pitcher Madison Fields was particularly dazzling in her regular-season home opener. The junior ace pitched a complete game, giving up just one earned run. Fields also struck out seven batter on the way to a 5-1 win.
    SEB scored two runs early in the first inning and added two additional runs in the third. SEB scored an insurance run late in the sixth inning.
    The Lady Yellow Jackets will be at home once again Thursday to take on Appling County at 5 p.m. in the team’s first region contest.

SEB wants similar success throughout season
    With 10 years under her belt as head coach of Southeast Bulloch’s softball team, Aimee Civalier said she feels confident the team has the skills and ability to make it back to the state postseason.
    For the past two seasons, the Lady Yellow Jackets were held out of the state playoffs.
    “We haven’t made it to the playoffs in the past two years and that’s going to be our goal. We have a lot of potential and we’re looking forward to getting back to the postseason,” Civalier said after the team’s first regular-season game of the 2015 campaign.
    Last year’s squad finished with an overall 19-11 record, including a 10-3 region record. Civalier lost just one senior from last year’s team which means the Lady Yellow Jackets’ softball community can come to expect another strong season.
    SEB will return seven starters to the field this year. Despite the team’s on-field experience, Civalier has just three seniors on the roster.
    “I think we have all the potential in the world. We’ve practiced hard all summer long and I think we have the potential to go far in our region,” Civalier said. “We’ve got some good leadership and pretty much everyone in the infield, outside of second base, is a returning starter this year.”
    The dynamic of having such a young, yet experienced team is something that excited Civalier. This year the Lady Yellow Jackets head coach said she will rely on the leadership of
    “We started a lot of young freshman and sophomores last year, so this year I think we’re only starting two new people out of nine. We feel experience, we feel young and we feel like we have great leadership,” Civalier said.
    Some of the team’s leadership will come from returning catcher Mary Manahan, third baseman Moe Joyner and starting pitcher Madison Fields.
    Manahan, who launched a home run in the team’s first game of the regular season— eventually striking a tree in center field, said she hopes the team can come together this year and play as a family.
    “This is a very emotional year,” Manahan said. “I’ve been here for four years and I love all the girls. I love having the atmosphere with the girls.”
    Manahan said she considers herself a vocal leader, and a leader that can do the talking with her bat as well.
    “I’m a very loud person. I talk on the field and I also try to set an example about leading the team,” Manahan said.

    Horace Holloman may be reached at (912) 489-9408.