Around Iredell Sports

2008 Jul-18

NSA World Series directly in the Storm’s path

Karley Harkey (left) of the Piedmont Storm catches a fly ball during practice Thursday at East Iredell Middle School as teammate Courtney Carroll looks on. The Piedmont Storm will be competing at the NSA World Series next week in Columbus, Ohio.

By Brad Norman
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There’s a certain business-like mindset to the Piedmont Storm, a local 14-and-under fastpitch softball team.

Practices run precisely from 6-8 p.m. at East Iredell Middle School. If a player shows up on the field at exactly 6 p.m., she’s considered late.

Karley Harkey gets to the fields at 4 p.m. with her dad, team coach Steve Harkey. Breanna Jones shows up at 5 p.m. to take an extra hour of batting practice.

A menacing hill sits behind the softball fields, serving as a constant reminder that if the team makes silly mistakes or errors, they run.

But that’s not to say the girls don’t experience lighthearted moments. They were treated to a show last month in Rock Hill, S.C.

After the Storm swept through the 14-under National Softball Association state championship, Steve Harkey headed to the pitching circle to fulfill a promise.

With his team watching and cameras poised, Harkey grooved, busting out his best dance moves.

“He tried to bring in the new, hip style dance,” pitcher Kayla Pine said. “It didn’t really work out too well.”

“Seriously, I don’t even know what he was doing,” daughter Karley added. “It was just funny. Everybody was laughing, even the people behind us.”

It’s all in good fun, though, Steve Harkey says.

With tough, tiresome practices in the oppressive heat and a long season full of traveling for games, sometimes you have to let loose.

“We had a little bet going,” Steve Harkey said with a chuckle. “I told them if we won the state tournament, I would get out there on the mound and dance.

“You know, I give them their grief, I’m tough on them. I’m really tough on them. That bet, that’s just one thing they can get excited about.”

Here’s another: The Storm’s first-place finish in the state meet qualifies them for the NSA World Series. Approximately 100 teams throughout the nation will converge in Columbus, Ohio, with the first games starting Monday morning.

The complete schedule won’t be determined until Sunday, but in the past, each team has played two games the first day. Those results are used to set the gigantic double-elimination bracket.

This will be the furthest the girls have had to travel for a slate of games. It’s also the biggest, although the team has played its share of tough competition.

Playing in tough tournaments around the region helped the Storm get this far.

“We had been playing a lot of really good tournaments against some really strong teams,” Steve Harkey said. “We chose a couple of tournaments in Burlington and Wilmington to play some strong, older teams. We took our lumps during those games, I guess you could say.”

Taking those lumps paid dividends down the road, though. At the state championship, every team the Storm beat in the final bracket was a squad it lost to earlier in the year.

The 7-5 victory in the semifinals over the Alexander Cougars, the team’s main rival, was especially pleasing.

“Most of them were a year older than us, so it was a big accomplishment,” Karley said. “It felt pretty good.”

It’s tough to set a tangible goal while playing against so many teams from throughout the nation. Storm coaches told the players they just want to see their best effort.

“Coach Harkey told us as long as we play our hardest, he won’t be upset if we lose,” Breanna Jones said. “So we just want to go play our best.”

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