ALL-AREA -- Burke

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on June 15, 2014 12:14 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Second-year Charles B. Aycock head softball coach Emily Burke knew she would have the itch to lace up her cleats and get back on the field everytime her team started to struggle.

Just two years removed from her playing days at Barton College, the former pitcher wouldn't see her team struggle much this season.

Burke restrained her desire to get on the field and led the Golden Falcons to a 21-5 record, including an appearance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A state finals for the second time in the past three years.

Starting six underclassmen, C.B. Aycock made it back to the state finals after winning it all in 2012. The dream season didn't end quite the way Burke had hoped as the Golden Falcons fell to Sun Valley in two games, but the season was still more than a success.

"Only two (teams) got to that place," said Burke, who was selected the 2014 News-Argus All-Area softball coach-of-the-year. "We were lucky to be one of those two teams. The girls played hard and it's a young team, so I'm looking forward to next year."

C.B. Aycock played in a split-classification conference this season and faced bigger 4-A schools with a larger pool of players to choose from. Burke's team finished 11-1 and shared the title with 2013 state 3-A champion D.H. Conley.

Burke also faced the challenge of bringing a team together that didn't mesh well last season, and hovered around the .500 mark.

"The seniors helped a lot with that," Burke said. "They were very willing to take these girls in and bond with them. Age-wise we had 18 year-olds and 14- and 15-year olds, so that's a big difference. The seniors really just made these girls feel like they were a part of something."

Led by future Division I players Meredith Burroughs and Cierra Harris, the Golden Falcons hit .399 as a team, belted 18 home runs and stole 40 bases offensively this season. The team scored 237 runs in its 25 games.

In the circle, the Golden Falcons had four pitchers throw 15 innings or more and all of them had earned run averages below 3.00. They posted a 1.89 ERA as a team and combined for 117 strikeouts.

"Being a first-year coach I don't think you could ask for more than that," said Burke, who always wanted to come back and coach and teach at her alma mater.

One aspect did catch her off guard.

"The paperwork is insane," Burke said. "You don't realize even as an assistant how much desk work there is to coaching a major varsity sport."