It’s been a long time since the Eastside softball team won a regular season game following winless seasons last year and the year before.

However, a 12-9 win at Wildwood in the preseason gives the Lady Rams some confidence. They trailed 9-2 and scored the last 10 runs.

For a program that hasn’t won a game since the 2018-19 school year, it was a monumental day on Feb. 13 at the Leesburg Preseason Tournament.

“It was a moment we have waited for a long time,” said Reginald Taylor, who enters his third season but the fifth year of building the program. “It actually brought a tear to my eyes. Building this team back up has been a challenge but it was a challenge I signed up to meet…the future looks bright as we continue to rebuild the program as a whole.”

Taylor, who is an Eastside alum, was coaching JV basketball for the Rams when he was hired by then Eastside Athletics Director Philip Crutchfield to take over the position.

He had prior coaching experience in both baseball and softball in Canton, Georgia. He coached middle school baseball and ninth-grade softball. His baseball team went undefeated, and his softball team had three winning seasons.

Taylor tried to assemble a team following the 1-win season in 2019 but was unable to do so. It took time to build interest in the program.

“The first 2-3 years at Eastside I was only able to get between 7-8 committed girls,” he said. “We were close in 2019-2020, but unfortunate events derailed us. Over time I saw the interest grow within the school. After three years of holding workouts for girls who were interested, we had our first season.”

This year, the team has a roster of 15 girls. However, it’s only comprised of two girls who had ever played the game before, so “the rebuild was rough but the outcome has been looking promising.”

“The majority of these young ladies never had a thought to play softball,” Taylor said. “To be able to restart/rebuild a program at my Alma Mater has been a blessing. Athletes develop some of their best relationships through sports. I’m glad I was able to provide the sport of softball to have those relationships. The progress we’ve made since the first day until now is great. We just hope to keep progressing in the right direction.”

This past Friday, the Lady Rams took that next step.

In the regular season opener at St. Francis Catholic Academy, the Rams and Wolves played to a 10-10 tie. The game was called due to the fact that St. Francis Catholic does not have lights.

It was neither a win nor a loss, but the tie ended a 54-game losing streak dating back to a 24-3 win at St. Francis Catholic on Feb. 19, 2019.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Taylor said. “I’m super proud of the girls. It’s about progressing in the right direction.”

The Lady Rams will host Wildwood at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, and they will host St. Francis Catholic at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

It will be unfinished business for Eastside, which lost its only senior from last year (Victoria Leath).

The team’s most talented athlete this year, senior Layla Strickland, had the tall task of pitching with no prior experience. She finished with an earned run average of 34.56, which Taylor said “will change drastically after the work she has put in. I’m very proud of her.”

Honorable mention All Area outfielder Ste’keriyonna Johnson (LF) led the team in batting average (.400) last year as a sophomore.

Johnson, who is learning to play shortstop this year, was second in on-base percentage (.500), third in stolen bases (9), and first in hits (6). She also had a slugging percentage of .466.

Senior Ta’miriyah Armstrong is in only her second year of playing the sport and has become a solid second baseman, while sophomore Jayla Lane (3B) co-led the team with 13 steals, was second in runs with four and third with a .462 OBP.

Junior Jade Bonaby (1B) placed third on the team with a .200 batting average and she led the team with a .556 OBP. She also finished in a three-way tie in fielding percentage at 1.000 and led the team with 3 RBI.

Fellow junior Remiaha Lillie (INF) is entering her third year of playing the sport and has polished her skills enough to become their new starting third basemen.

Rounding out the infield is junior Amira Haywood (C/INF), who placed second on the team with a .227 batting average and co-lead the team in steals with 13, placed third on the team with 5 hits, second on the team with a .363 slugging average, was third in doubles (1), first in triples (1) and led the team in runs (7).

Junior Nylah Francois (CF), who in her first year of playing, won the Newcomer of the Year after possessing a 1.000 fielding percentage, will anchor the outfield along with junior Debrianna Ruise (OF), who placed third on the team in runs scored (3).

Sophomore Keyondra McBride “is making strides at first base. When her time comes, she will be ready to take the reins,” according to Taylor.

Key Additions include Ja’mya English and Taylor Jordan, who bring experience to the squad.

“These young ladies have played the game since their T-ball age days,” Taylor said. “We possess a roster filled with young ladies that are only in their third year of playing the sport. These young ladies came right in and provided leadership and knowledge of the game. Everyone will benefit from their experience and outlook of the game.”

Again, the key is to keep progressing in the right direction.

“We want to get better in all facets of the game. We are in the middle of a complete rebuild, so any success is a plus,” Taylor said. “Most importantly I want the young ladies to learn from this experience that anything is possible if you work at it. Whatever task that presents itself can be achieved with dedication, commitment and hard work.”

Eastside will compete in 3A-District 5 with North Marion (Citra), Palatka and Santa Fe (Alachua).

“We are not really ready to make a splash in our district, but we are certainly set to crush our team goals, which is to have fun and get better each and every opportunity we get.”