Last year, their goal was to have a winning record. Check. 

This season, their goal was to make the state tournament. Check.

Next year? We will have to wait and see, but based on the track record of the Morgan Academy Lady Senator softball team, it will be something they very likely will accomplish.

Just days after finishing fourth in the AISA Class 3A softball tournament, head coach Ed Miller has already put in place a summer workout schedule that builds upon the championship pedigree he brought with him to Morgan.

“We have a plan for them in place and strong summer program that includes Cassie Daniels working with our pitchers and leading our team’s workout schedule,” Miller said. “She’ll be brining with her the workout regiment used by AUM, so it should be a good summer for the team.”

Daniels was a standout pitcher — and all-around performer — for Miller during his final years at Dallas County High School, including winning the AHSAA Class 4A state softball championship in 2011. In that season, Miller’s last at Dallas County, he was named the Class 4A coach of the year and Daniels was named the Class 4A softball player of the year.

During her 2013 season, Daniels had a 19-4 record as a pitcher, with an earned run average of just 1.49. She also led the team in innings pitched with 150.1 and opposing teams held a measly .159 batting average against her.

For Miller and the Lady Senators, next season will be a rebuilding one as they look to replace most of this year’s infield and centerfield positions.

“It’ll be a rebuilding year of sorts for us because of the senior leadership that carried us this year, but the team now believes they can compete — they now believe they can win,” Miller said. “Next year, we will likely only have one senior on the field, so it’ll be a young team, but a team that has experience.”

Miller said the goal his team set for this season was to reach the state tournament because “you can’t win it, if you’re not in it.”

He also said the tournament visit marked the first time Morgan had been to the tournament since 2006, an accomplishment not lost on his team nor him despite the fourth place finish last weekend.

“The three teams that finished ahead of us were all good teams,” Miller said. “There wasn’t a team below us that we were not worse than us and we had even beat two of the teams that finished ahead of us.

“I’m really happy with the results from this year and am looking forward to next year already.”