Today’s matchup between the Natchez High School Lady Bulldogs and the Cathedral School Green Wave will be a meeting of opposites.

Natchez coach Sue Johnson is only missing one player from last year’s playoff team, while Cathedral coach Lynn Ogden has seven new names to put on the lineup card.

After losing seven players to graduation, Cathedral School Softball Coach Lynn Ogden has got a new group of girls to work with.

Not only are the girls new, they are young.

Only one senior, Krystal Groom, starts for the Green Wave, but she is important, Ogden said.

&uot;She is my senior leader,&uot; Groom said.

Groom plays short stop for Cathedral and bats cleanup.

Though Ogden only has on senior, there is a core group of juniors who, she said, she is looking for leadership from.

Mary Margaret Alwood, Tori Blackwell and Jessica Barrett are Ogden’s juniors.

Alwood plays second base, Blackwell plays left field and Barrett plays first base.

Though Ogden won’t make any predictions, she said the group of girls play well together.

Cohesiveness and friendship are part of a strong team, Ogden said.

Just as she was talking about camaraderie, one of her players hit a line drive near the fence in center field, but another of her players snagged the ball out of the air with a running catch. The entire team began to clap and shout.

&uot;I like that, the camaraderie clapping and singing,&uot; Ogden said after the catch.

Ogden said she feels a connection with her team.

&uot;I feel like the team will be an extension of my personality,&uot; Ogden said. &uot;We can have fun.&uot;

Part of Ogden’s personality is coaching aggressive base running.

&uot;I like aggressive base running – that pushing style of play,&uot; Ogden said. &uot;I think the players like it too.&uot;

The girls were practicing Monday for today’s matchup which Johnson predicts will be a good game.

&uot;They are a good team,&uot; she said. &uot;They hit the ball well and play good defense.&uot;

But so do the Bulldogs, Johnson said.

The Bulldogs lost a heart-breaker to West Lincoln Monday night 3-4.

Johnson said even though the game was a loss, her girls played well.

&uot;I’m very happy with the way they played,&uot; she said. &uot;Just a few breaks did not go our way.&uot;

Holding West Lincoln to only fours runs, speaks to level of defense the Bulldogs play, Johnson said.

Though her team only lost one starter, her players are still young, Johnson said.

&uot;We’ve only got three seniors,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;Our pitcher is a sophomore and we’ve got eighth graders, juniors and freshman playing.&uot;

Cathedral meets Natchez High at 5 p.m. today at the Natchez Softball complex behind Natchez High School.