‘Change the culture.’ Young Douglass softball team developing attitude and offense.

Frederick Douglass softball has had no shortage of exciting games this season.

In all but two of their wins, the Broncos (10-9, 0-1 in the 42nd District) have scored more than 10 runs.

They’ve needed them because their young pitching staff also gives up more than nine runs per game.

“We’ve got to score two touchdowns to give us a chance, that’s for sure,” joked first-year Douglass coach Jason McGuire after his team beat Lafayette 13-7 on Monday.

But McGuire doesn’t sweat close wins or tough losses. He’s most concerned about getting his team to play the right way with the right attitude, he said.

“Our goal was to come in here and change the culture,” McGuire said. “I didn’t care about winning a game. My goal was to get better each and every time out with attitude and effort … and we have done that.”

Last year, Douglass’s former head coach abruptly quit barely a week into the season. The Broncos lost 10 of their first 13 games as the boys’ soccer coach Omar Shalash tried to steady the program. The team rallied over the last month to win eight of its last 10 games and put a scare into eventual district champion Scott County in the district semifinals before falling 1-0 in 10 innings.

The 2023 team had no seniors. This year’s team has two — Kentucky State commit Jorden Bowman and Aaliyah Long — who are a huge part of the Broncos’ powerful offense and are among eight returners from last year’s varsity lineup.

Douglass’s team batting average is .360, tied for third-best in the 11th Region. Coach’s daughter Haley McGuire, a freshman, is hitting .613 with nine homers, 32 runs scored and 27 RBI. Long hits .457 with eight homers and 26 RBI. Jorden Bowman hits .345 and is among the top base stealers in the state with 18. Younger sister Jarynn Bowman, a freshman, is hitting .500.

Six of Douglass’s nine losses have come against top 25 teams — No. 6 Lexington Catholic (twice), No. 9 Montgomery County, No. 13 Madison Central, No. 16 Assumption and No. 20 Highlands.

The Broncos’ thrillers this season included a six-run rally in the seventh inning for a 10-9 win against then-West Virginia No. 1 Cabell Midland (Ona, W.Va.) on April 13 at Boyd County’s Tri-State Showcase. Eighth-grader Riley Baker delivered the walk-off two-run single in that one.

A night later at The Farm, freshman Kyleigh Curtis capped a three-run rally in the sixth inning with a two-run single that helped the Broncos top Madison Southern 10-9.

Douglass came up clutch again last week against Manual as Baker delivered a two-run single in the sixth to tie the game. Haley McGuire walked it off in the seventh with a solo homer.

In their win over Lafayette on Monday, Haley McGuire came on as a relief pitcher in the fourth inning with the Broncos holding a tenuous 7-6 lead with the bases loaded and two outs. She got a strikeout to end the inning and in the sixth got out of her own bases-loaded, no-out jam with two strikeouts and a groundout. At the plate, she delivered a three-run double in the seventh to essentially seal the victory. Every Douglass batter had at least one hit.

“I think that we just get more and more excited to play with each other,” Haley McGuire said. “We all realize we’re finally getting to our potential. And once we all start hitting together, we really think we can win against anybody.”

Teammate Emma Dunn, daughter of assistant coach Kevin Dunn, had a solo homer in the third inning and went 4-for-5 against Lafayette with four runs scored and four RBI.

Haley and Emma were two of Henry Clay’s top players as eighth-graders last season and came over to Douglass with their dads after Jason McGuire accepted the head coaching position. That has put them in an unusual spot as freshmen, Coach McGuire acknowledged.

“The hard part about being a coach’s kid is that you have to be the example,” Coach McGuire said. “Where they go, the team goes. When they fold the team folds.”

Emma Dunn shrugs off the pressure.

“It’s not as rough. I’ve got my friend with me, so it’s fine,” Emma said, pointing to Haley with a smile.

Next, the Broncos must show they can win against teams in the 42nd District as they vie for postseason positioning that might help them earn their first 11th Region Tournament berth since 2021. That begins with road games against Scott County on Thursday and Bryan Station on Friday. Douglass lost to Scott County 11-4 on March 22.

The key to success?

“It’s just a mindset,” Coach McGuire said. “We do all the right things. It’s just being able to stay motivated and be disciplined.”

His daughter agrees.

“We’ve got to come out hot. The energy is the biggest thing for us. … If we come out hot and cheering, it’ll stay up the whole game,” she said.

Stellar lineup for Lafayette Five-Star event

Lafayette’s annual Five-Star General Tournament, which is really a two-day showcase, will bring together six teams ranked among the softball coaches’ poll top 25 along with a number of other strong contenders for region titles at Great Crossing Park in Georgetown on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday’s lineup will include a showdown between No. 1 South Warren and No. 6 Lexington Catholic at 4 p.m. At 6 p.m. Friday, No. 5 Male takes on No. 20 Highlands.

No. 16 Assumption and No. 22 Great Crossing will also take part, as will Scott County, which was ranked earlier in the season.

Great Crossing Park, which is next to Great Crossing High School, has four fields that will allow simultaneous play, and the Warhawks’ home field will be used Saturday to increase the live action even more.

“The location being centrally located in Kentucky makes it an easy travel for teams from all over the state and allows us to match up teams that don’t normally play each other,” Lafayette coach Dan Grantz said. “And the fact that the top tier teams are coming just makes it that much more fun to watch.”

Upcoming 42nd District games

Thursday: Frederick Douglass at Scott County, 6 p.m.

Friday: Frederick Douglass at Bryan Station, 6 p.m.

Monday: Scott County at Bryan Station, 6 p.m.

Tuesday: Henry Clay at Frederick Douglass, 6 p.m.

Lafayette Five-Star General Tournament

Friday’s games

At Great Crossing Park, Georgetown

6 p.m.: Lafayette vs. Henry Clay; Western Hills vs. North Oldham; Scott County vs. No. 6 Lexington Catholic; No. 5 Male vs. No. 20 Highlands

8 p.m.: Oak Forest, Ill. vs. Western Hills; No. 22 Great Crossing vs. Butler; No. 20 Highlands vs. Johnson Central

Saturday’s games

At Great Crossing Park, Georgetown

10 a.m.: Lafayette vs. Simon Kenton; Johnson Central vs. No. 16 Assumption; North Oldham vs. No. 22 Great Crossing; No. 5 Male vs. Oak Forrest, Ill.

Noon: Anderson County vs. Pendleton County; No. 6 Lexington Catholic vs. No. 1 South Warren; Oak Forrest, Ill. vs. Wolfe County

2 p.m.: Pendleton County vs. No. 1 South Warren; No. 22 Great Crossing vs. Johnson Central; No. 5 Male vs. Anderson County

4 p.m.: Butler vs. Lafayette

At Great Crossing High School, Georgetown

10 a.m.: Scott County vs. Wolfe County

Noon: North Oldham vs. Scott County

2 p.m.: Simon Kenton vs. No. 16 Assumption

Vote: Kentucky.com Softball Player of the Week (April 15-21)

Vote: Kentucky.com Baseball Player of the Week (April 15-21)

Rosters set for Kentucky’s all-star basketball series against Indiana