Eric Neel

It was a great hit, and she hit it where we needed it to go," said East Central's head coach Eric Neel.
...
Neel said he was impressed with the pitching from his team and Cleveland High and that the atmosphere was great for championship softball.

East Central coach Eric Neel knows the Lady Hornets have something special.

"People don't realize that it's not the coach that makes this program good," Neel said."There's a lot of talent in Hurley.As a coach, you need to mold the talent into a good team."

When Neel became East Central's coach last summer, he knew about the program's huge expectations.

"There's a lot of pressure at East Central," Neel said.
...
"We're an aggressive hitting team," Neel said."We're aggressive with the bat.We're different from other fast-pitch teams."

The Lady Hornets rely on nifty base running to compliment their pitching and hitting.East Central has stolen more than 70 bases, with Wells accounting for more than 30.

"We're aggressive on the bases," Neel said.
...
Neel, who worked at George County before coming to East Central, is impressed with the Lady Hornets' toughness.

"The players never get rattled," Neel said."That's the craziest thing about this team.
...
"We're still young and that's scary," Neel said.

HURLEY -- New East Central softball coach Eric Neel, found out what it was like to play the best team in the state on Tuesday night.

HURLEY -- New East Central softball coach Eric Neel, found out what it was like to play the best team in the state on Tuesday night.

>

He's hoping that his team can soon own that distinction.

East Central fell to defending 5A champ Oak Grove on Tuesday night by a 2-0 score, but Neel was pleased with the way his team played.

"We had a chance to tie the game up, but they made a great play on a long fly ball," Neel said.
...
Neel, who briefly took the head coaching job at George County last season, knows what is expected of his team.

"This program is different than any other, because people expect you to win championships," Neel said.
...
"These seniors have been around for a long time and know how to make the team better," Neel said."It's tough at times because we routinely start five sophomores, but we want to continue the tradition and start another streak like they had from 2000-04."

Neel spent two years at George County where he coached football and track, after spending 16 years at Lumberton.Neel was also previously head baseball coach at Mercy Cross.

East coach Eric Neel of Mercy Cross was happy with his relief pitching, timely hitting and Butler's catch.
...
"Just getting a hit when you need it is what baseball is all about," Neel said.