Calvary’s mission for fifth straight state softball title rooted in memory of Elana Franks
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Calvary Baptist’s softball players needed a lift.
When it was time to get into the team’s locker room, they needed a running start to jump up into the above-ground facility until a wooden staircase was later added for easier access.
Through the tireless efforts of Wood’s father, Greg Frazier, home to the Lady Cavaliers started to look a lot different with modern amenities.
Thanks to the addition of a new wall, a coach’s office was created within an existing temporary building, followed by a concession stand and restroom.
“We knew we had to have somewhere to go to the bathroom and somewhere to change,” Wood said.
The time was 2012 and Wood, a native of Shreveport and graduate of LSU Shreveport, heeded the call of then athletic director Johnny Booty to take over the school’s softball program after three years of being an assistant. Outside of her playing career, which included a year at East Texas Baptist University, she was a 21-year-old without head coach coaching experience who compensated with a vision and work ethic.
Cosmetically, Calvary’s softball field was transformed with indoor batting cages and air conditioning, covered bullpens, and an artificial turf infield.
“We had a porta potty, no locker room, and an empty t-building with no steps,” Woods said. “We had no running water. There was no concession stand. We had a small Coca-Cola trailer on the back of a hill. That was our concession stand.”
Wood is thankful for her father’s ingenuity and guidance. He’s been her assistant for 12 of her 14 seasons, while Harold Johnson’s been by her side for 11 years and Jessica Gann for two.
A supportive group of parents has been another catalyst in the explosion of Calvary’s softball program which has gained national notoriety. The Lady Cavaliers (25-0), ranked No. 9 by MaxPreps.com, are riding a streak of four consecutive state championships, 29 straight victories, and a stretch of 45 wins in their last 46 games.
Calvary hosts North DeSoto (19-2), the No. 1 team in Division II non-select, at 5:30 on Thursday.
“I never felt I’d be here forever,” said Wood, who’s compiled a 351-87 record. “I knew I wanted to coach softball and that’s what I was hoping would be my career path. I’ve had some opportunities in the past to go to other places and it never felt right. We kept growing at Calvary. It took a little while.”
Iron sharpens iron
The sixth state championship under Wood last season may have been the most dramatic and rewarding.
After two years of building, including a playoff win in 2013, the Lady Cavaliers began a run of 10 consecutive trips to the state tournament with two straight berths in the state semifinals in 2014-15. They finally broke through in 2016 with the school’s first state crown, replacing the disappointment of two previous semifinal losses with an 8-4 victory against Holy Savior Menard in the state title game.
For the first time in school history, Calvary earned national acclaim in 2024, a program that continually sought additional competition from outside of its state’s borders.
The Lady Cavaliers survived a 10-9 marathon against Houma Christian in the Division III select state championships to put the finishing touches on a 35-2 record – the most wins in school history – and a No. 2 national ranking from MaxPreps.
“Last year we got a lot of publicity with the national ranking,” Wood said. “It goes back to all of the teams before that helped build that foundation. I used to go to Houston and play in Katy and I got my butt kicked several times. We branched out and played a bunch of their teams. We try to play Bentonville (Arkansas) every year.
“We try to play as many competitive teams as we can and in higher classifications,” Wood said. “Our schedule’s very tough. We decided to up our schedule in 2016. We went to a tournament in Pearland (Texas). We had to make ourselves a little tougher. Just playing tougher competition to get ready for the postseason.”
Calvary won its first 15 games a year ago until a 3-0 loss to Bentonville. The Lady Cavaliers reeled off 15 more straight wins until a 5-3 setback at Division II St. Thomas More in Lafayette, setting the stage for another state championship run that culminated with the win over Houma Christian and a No. 2 ranking.
The Lady Cavaliers steamrolled their first two playoff opponents by a combined score of 19-0 before a semifinal matchup with Notre Dame of Acadia Parish, taking a hard-fought 8-5 triumph, until the team’s memorable final game with Houma Christian.
“Last year we did not talk about it a lot as far as being nationally ranked,” Wood said. “All of the kids and parents knew. As a team, it wasn’t something we talked about.”
Calvary was led by the Class 2A Most Outstanding Player Ramsey Walker, who signed with Arkansas, and pitcher Kynzee Anderson, who was named to the first team for the second straight year. Shortstop Baylor Bockhaus and second baseman Carlie Guile were named honorable mention.
Walker joined a list of the program’s greatest players that advanced to play on the Division I level. She joined Louisiana Tech signee Emily Daniel in 2017 and Northwestern State signees Marissa Reed (2018) and DJ Lynch (2024).
Angel in the outfield
The unmistakable hint of tragedy is palpable and something that stretches over Calvary’s entire campus.
Senior center fielder Elana Franks, a key member of the Lady Cavs’ state title team in 2024, batted .327 with three homers, eight doubles, and 20 RBIs. She was part of the softball program since the seventh grade and a starter since the eighth grade, becoming a member of the team’s close-knit outfield group that was interchangeable throughout fall practice, giving everyone an opportunity to play each outfield spot.
Franks, 17, was the passenger in a two-vehicle accident on Jan. 7 in which she did not survive her injuries.
“It’s been hard,” Wood said. “That was a hard couple of weeks for us. Losing her and trying to navigate how to handle practices and games. Just moving on … she’s absolutely a part of us. We talk about her all the time. This is our 21st team and we’re playing for (her jersey number) 25.
“Although I have a great group of girls that play well together, they’re definitely playing for something other than themselves and their family,” Wood said. “They’re playing for her. We want to honor her. We want it to be a heck of a senior season for her even though she’s looking out for us up above.”
Franks’ impact on the Calvary community was evident when hundreds of people showed up in the parking lot of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and conducted a candlelight vigil. A flag was also raised in her memory and an honor walk was conducted amongst her family and close friends when it became known she would be an organ donor.
“I was strong for them and strong for Elana,” Wood said. “I know that’s what she would have wanted me to do and for her family. She’s been a big part of this. I had taught her in P.E. since fifth grade, so I’ve known her for a very long time. We took it one day at a time. I told the kids everybody grieves differently. There isn’t a right or wrong way. Some days were harder for others, and the next day may have been harder for somebody else. We constantly talk about her.”
Wood said the team convened later in the day following Franks’ accident, sensitive to the raw feelings and varying degrees of individuals grieving. She said the school’s pastoral staff met with the team, offering prayer and guidance and a shoulder to cry on.
“I like to stay busy, even during tragic times. That’s how I grieve,” Wood said. “We took the rest of the week off, came back Monday, had a team meeting, and went from there.”
Calvary still places Franks’ jersey in her locker on game day. Her parking spot remains intact and there’s been an outpouring of support from other teams in the Shreveport area and beyond.
Airline High in Bossier sent a cardboard cutout of a No. 25 jersey in pinstripes (Franks’ favorite) that stands in Calvary’s dugout, while other schools such as Buckeye and Sam Houston have followed suit with profound tributes.
Wood told sophomore Reese Walker, the team’s starting center fielder, she’s had additional help this season. Walker is batting .340 with two homers and nine RBIs and has given Calvary a solid group along with junior left fielder Abby Sims and eighth-grade right fielder Brynn Robinson.
“We talked to Reese and told her not to see it as she was replacing someone or taking her spot,” she said. “She’s filling a position. She’s (Franks) out there with you. We tell them she is the fourth woman in the outfield, and I think they’ve kind of bought into that. We’ve had some really big plays out there. I hope she gives them an extra little push, an extra amount of speed to make the plays out there.”
A team without any apparent shortcomings
This year’s team is on pace to match the 35-win season of its predecessor.
Calvary has six games remaining in the regular season and another state championship would extend the program’s number to five straight and seven overall.
It’s hard to think they won’t get there with the impressive numbers the Lady Cavs have put up thus far.
“We like to be as strong as we can,” Wood said. “It’s hard when you don’t have a weakness for opponents to get you out.”
Start with this year’s team resolve where 5 ½ weeks after Franks’ death, Calvary opened the season with a 27-0 victory over Caddo Magnet. That was the first of 11 shutouts this season and the first of 15 mercy-rule victories with the latest taking place Monday in a 19-3 verdict at Ouachita – a game the Lady Cavs pounded out 15 hits with four home runs.
Because of Calvary’s K-12 alignment, the Lady Cavs will always have an element of youth on their roster and this year’s no different with only one senior (Addison Willis) and two juniors (Anderson, Sims).
“On our 2022 state title team,” Wood said, “we had four middle school kids starting. We had two seventh graders and two eighth graders. That team went 24-12, but the schedule was tough, and I didn’t shy away from it.”
Bockhaus was the team’s starting shortstop and Guile the starter at second base as an eighth grader and freshman, respectively, last season and are key components this year.
Bockhaus leads the team in batting average (.598), homers (19), and RBIs (63), while Guile’s batting .423 with nine homers, seven doubles, 24 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Sophomore catcher Mallory Carver is starting in her fourth season, batting .500 with 10 homers, 13 doubles, and 46 RBIs.
“We’re young in the sense without a lot of juniors and seniors,” Wood said. “It’s kids that have been playing. We have a lot of good, young talent.”
Eighth-grade utility player Sadie Simmons is part of that youthful wave with a .500 batting average, sophomore third baseman Loren Sivils (.461, 7 HRs, 9 2B, 38 RBIs) and freshman designated player/pitcher Jaycee Sledge (.423, 9 HRs, 3 doubles, 9 RBIs).
The Lady Cavs are batting .436 with an average of 11.7 runs per game with 51 doubles, and 67 home runs and haven’t been caught stealing in 56 attempts.
“This is the first year we really feel like we have a little bit of everything,” Wood said. “We have kids who can run with good speed throughout our lineup. We can lay down bunts, we can beat things out. Anytime you have speed, that’s hard to teach. To have those kids that can put pressure on defenses and then we have power. We have contact hitters. We have a lot of strengths throughout our lineup.”
The right-handed Anderson, a Georgia commitment, is 61-11 over her career and a perfect 16-0 with a 1.11 ERA, 155 strikeouts, and 10 complete games in 88.2 innings. Willis, the team’s No. 2 pitching option, is 7-0 with a 1.39 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.
“She’s definitely a dominant force in the circle,” Wood said of Anderson. “She has speed, she has movement. She also has an off-speed. She has a lot of strikeouts but also lets her defense work behind her. She also has a dominant mindset in the circle. A go-get-them mindset who doesn’t show emotions. She’s out there and takes care of her business.
“This year we haven’t talked about our record or anything like that,” Wood said. “We take it game by game. We play the game and that’s the one we focus on.”