Story by Sunni Partin
Bella Sizemore has made a quick transition from basketball to softball. The North Laurel Jaguars made a run in the State Tournament so their season didn’t end until March 14 after their loss to George Rogers Clark in the Elite Eight.
“Being a two-sport athlete is constantly being in the mindset to always be ready for the next season to come so while I was playing basketball, I tried to take advantage of off days to prepare for softball,” Sizemore said.
Sizemore is in her senior season with the Jaguars and is finding early success as she has an impressive batting average of .514.
North Laurel is 9-2 with losses to Ballard and Anderson County. At this point in the season, they have only faced two 13th region teams and found success against both South Laurel and Lynn Camp.
The Jaguars softball program is highly regarded among many. Last season, North Laurel brought home the state runner up trophy adding to the legacy that is Jaguar Softball.
Sizemore said, “We have learned that the players before us have progressively built a legacy so as current players, we do not take our spot on this Jaguar team for granted because everytime we step on the field, we are reminded of the legacy we are now a part of.”
There have been many highs in Sizemore’s athletic career however there have also been lows. Coming out of middle school, she faced a lower back injury. Her L4 and L5 discs were bulging her spine causing immense pain. She visited many doctors and ultimately found the right recovery plan.
Sizemore said, “This resulted in me going to therapy five days a week and occasionally shots in order to get me back on the field to play. I remember to always give the glory to God because it wouldn’t be possible without Him.”
The girls that proudly wear the blue and green know what they are capable of and also know just how close they were to calling themselves state champions last year. They will be ready to make a postseason run once again that they hope ends one step above what it did last year.
“We fell short of our ultimate goal of bringing home the gold trophy so this year we want to bring home what we didn’t get to last year which fuels the legacy I want to leave as a senior this year which is to bring home the gold trophy rather than the silver,” Sizemore said.
