The Mathews High School junior varsity softball team holds a 1-4 record heading into this week’s spring break, according to JV head coach J.J. Ashberry.

This year’s team is a very young squad, Ashberry said, with only one returning position starter from last year. The starting lineup includes seven eighth graders.

“Our offense has progressed extremely well while our defense is still struggling to help us win,” Ashberry said, “which in turn is backwards from usually how JV teams improve.”

Both of the team’s starting pitchers, Jayanna Richards and Emily West, are eighth graders. “They improve in the circle every inning,” the coach said. “It’s just that our defense really needs to begin to step it up. Hopefully after the Easter break, we will see much improvement both physically and mentally with the gloves.”

The JV girls are scheduled to face Washington and Lee at 5 o’clock today in the 2018 Wells Fargo Adv...