Staff photo.
Hoover’s Emily Baker lines up a putt during the Class 7A North Sub-State tournament last May. Baker is the Lady Bucs’ lone senior this season.
At her core, Lori Elgin is a competitor. Whether playing or coaching anything, she wants to win.
But as the Hoover High School girls golf coach, she’s been forced to adapt some this spring. In years past, the Lady Bucs have been fortunate to have a veteran-laden team, with the likes of Mychael O’Berry, Julie Baker, Carson McKie and Danielle Buompastore among the recent graduates to play at Hoover before moving on to college golf.
Those teams have been able to win tournaments throughout the season and compete for a state championship at the end. But this year’s team is a young one, and the progress has come incrementally.
“So far, we really haven’t played to our potential,” Elgin said in mid-March. “We have a lot of work to do but the girls have really, really good attitudes. I feel like they’re going to be just fine at the end of April.”
Even though the Lady Bucs haven’t been racking up tournament wins at the start of the season, Elgin believes the team still has a chance to be in the mix at the end. Thankfully, the regular season results don’t come into play during the postseason.
“It’s hard for me to say it’s OK if we don’t win a tournament, because I can’t stand that,” Elgin said. “They know we have another month and they’ve just got to keep working.”
Emily Baker is the Lady Bucs’ lone senior and the younger sister of Julie Baker, who is now playing at Southern Miss. Elgin said she leads the way for the team and provides a great example for the younger kids.
Freshman Neysa Dechachutinan has been playing in Hoover’s No. 2 spot so far and, despite her youth, has competed with the varsity team since she was in seventh grade.
Dechachutinan had yet to hit her stride through the season’s first few tournaments, but Elgin felt she was on the cusp of being“back on track.”
Julia Freeman, a sophomore, played some last season. Elgin said she possesses a great deal of potential and will only get better the more experience she gains.
Hailey Remick and Gabriela Anderson have been battling for the fourth slot for the Lady Bucs. Remick played well in the early portion of the season, while Anderson is still learning the local courses after moving from Illinois.
“We are young but I still think we have a shot at it,” Elgin said. “There’s a lot of teams in the state that have two pretty solid players and some teams are searching for three. I’m looking forward to seeing how much they improve. I really think they will.”
Elgin has noticed that the girls’ work ethic has not been an issue. The players practice together almost twice as much as they are required to throughout the week.
“They’re a great group of girls, I know that. I’ve really enjoyed them,” Elgin said.
The Lady Bucs will begin postseason play with the section tournament at Highland Park on April 30, followed by the sub-state tournament May 6 at Hampton Cove. The state tournament is the following week in Prattville.
