In more than 23 years of coaching softball, Bountiful coach Butch Latey has seen talented players come and go.

The positive thing about coaching in a state with big families is that there's always another sister to fill the void.

"Whether I [continue to coach] much longer or not, I'm not going to leave the cupboard bare," Latey said. "We have three girls coming in each year for probably the next five years. If I lose three good seniors, I know I'll be gaining three good freshman every year."

Latey said that in his seven years with the Braves, he has already seen three sets of sisters come and go, with another on the way. Sophomore Payton Hart will be joined by her sibling next year.

"I watch them in the summer and really enjoy seeing them grow up. I should have two Harts in the lineup pretty soon here," Latey said.

Although the Braves won Region 5 titles three straight years from 2006 to 2008, the reshuffling last year found them in a competitive Region 6 and a No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

Bountiful had a surprising run, mostly through the stingy pitching of Lexi Guild and Belle Stoddard. Both players have returned this year with more experience and a competitive spirit.

"If Lexi's down, Belle's willing to come in and help her, and the same the other way around," said senior Justine Ethington. "They both are great, and either way we can count on them."

Between them, Guild and Stoddard have allowed only 33 runs in region, an average of 2.75 runs per game. Bountiful leads all of 4A in winning margin at 5.53, with senior Kelsey Simmonds commanding the plate with an astonishing .600 batting average.

"They can't get her out," Latey said. "She's been a great leader, and she'll be a hard one to replace."

Although Bountiful is third in Region 6, Latey said he likes his team's chances and can sense a special chemistry in the girls this year.

"Over the past years, we've always had two goals: have fun and get better," he said. "This year, this team is good enough to make a run at a championship."

Ethington agrees. Although she acknowledges some of the girls were distracted when facing a tough Lehi team in the first round last year, she said the team has grown.

"Our goal into the playoffs every game is to say it's just another team — just another team that we're going to play and we're not going to stress about it," Ethington said. "In the playoffs, you can't worry about it. You play your game, and they play theirs and see what happens." —

Bountifulsoftball file

The Braves have two ace pitchers in Lexi Guild and Belle Stoddard. With 15 wins between them, they are the best tandem in Region 6.

Senior center fielder Kelsey Simmonds has been unstoppable at the plate. Her batting average is .600.

Bountiful currently leads all of 4A in team runs differential. The Braves score 8.5 runs per game to their opponents' 3.0.

After losing its first playoff game out of Region 6 No. 4 seed in 2010, Bountiful made a run in the consolation bracket, winning four straight before falling to 4A runner-up Spanish Fork.