Things are looking bright for the Escambia Academy Lady Cougars softball team as they prepare to travel to Montgomery Friday for the Class 2A AISA state tournament.

The Lady Cougars will take on the No. 1 Region 1 seed Springwood Academy with the first game taking place at 10 a.m. at Lagoon Park.

Lady Cougars Head Coach Ronnie Huskey said his team is getting ready for great competition.

“We are focusing on our pitching and hitting at this point,” Huskey said. “Our defense is good, but we need to have a our pitching ready and our bats ready to go.”

The Lady Cougars have been to the playoffs in recent years, but have not been as well prepared as they are now for a run to a championship.

Lady Cougars junior pitcher Tori Rodriguez said that the team’s coach is the reason.

“He (Ronnie) puts in so much time with us,” Rodriguez said. “He takes time from his own business to help us get better. He does a great job with us.”

With some teams setting goals for playoffs and championships, Huskey wanted his team to just play together and learn the basics.

Huskey said his team has done an excellent job of reaching the goals they have set.

“Our goals weren’t really that high,” he said. “I just wanted them work on the basics and come together as a team. This has been a good year for this team because they haven’t been beat up like they have in the last couple of seasons.”

Huskey’s daughter, Amber, a junior catcher for the Lady Cougars, said its good to be in the playoffs with this team because they have done so well.

“It’s great to be back in the playoffs this year because we actually have a chance to achieve something,” Amber Huskey said.

For Allie Brooks, a freshman starting pitcher, the chance to make the playoffs is great for a first-year starter.

“This was my first season to start on varsity, so it has all been a great experience.”

Lagoon Park is located in Montgomery at 2855 Lagoon Park Drive.