RINGGOLD, Ga. — It’s not something Vince Phillips can easily put into words, but the Ringgold High School softball coach knows it when he sees it.

His team just “has it” this year. It’s visible in the Lady Tigers’ 10-0 record and No. 2 state ranking, but the coach sees it even more in the way they play a game.

“To be honest, we’re way ahead of where we were last year,” Phillips said this past week. “I felt we had a chance to be a good team, but we’ve come into our own very quickly. It’s hard to tell why, but the biggest thing I see is the chemistry on this team is unbelievable. You can see the girls who don’t play are always up and cheering for those who are, and that makes a big difference.”

It’s not that the players didn’t get along last year, according to senior Jensen Hackett. It’s more a matter of having eight seniors who have been through a lot together focusing on one major goal.

“We want a trip to Columbus this year, and that’s what we’re expecting,” said Hackett, referring to the site of the state tournament. “Having mostly upperclassmen helps a lot. We’ve just got a lot of leaders on this team, and we all get along.”

Of course, a sensational start to the season hasn’t hurt, either. The Class AAA Lady Tigers have seven wins against higher-classification teams. Among those was a 3-1 victory over reigning Class AAAAA champion Lassiter.

“That game showed me a lot,” Phillips said. “It had an Octoberish feel to it, with two talented teams going toe-to-toe. Luckily, we jumped on them early and got great pitching. We now know what we can do.”

Though Ringgold lost some good offensive players from a year ago, including all-star Lauren Walden, the lineup has been much more productive this season, including four games of nine runs or more. There isn’t as much power as in 2007, but batters one through nine are doing a better job of putting the ball in play.

Leadoff batter Hackett and No. 2 batter Mahala Volz are run-scoring machines, while Haley Gibson, Caty Sparks and Monica Davenport form a dangerous if not spectacular middle of the order. The big difference is the consistent contributions from the bottom of the lineup, which includes hot-hitting freshman Hayley Robinson.

“Last year, for whatever reason, our bats never really came alive,” Hackett said. “This year, we don’t strike out much and we’re getting the runs in when we have the chance. If we keep this up, with our pitching, we can reach our goals.”

Sparks, off her breakout season a year ago as a sophomore, has emerged as one of the top pitchers in Georgia. She seems to get better with more work, Phillips said, and she embraces that.

“There is no limit to the amount of innings I can pitch this year,” said Sparks, knowing there is little pitching experience behind her. “I want the ball. This team has so much confidence right now. We’re hitting better, running the bases better and playing defense better. We’re so much more aggressive, and that’s the way we should play.”

Hitting, pitching, running, defense, chemistry — this team seems to have it all. But can this early success be sustained?

“The way we’re playing, it should definitely help us in the postseason,” Sparks said. “We have very high expectations, but we know we have to play our hardest or it won’t matter. I can’t see this team letting down.”

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