Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Floyd County's Katelyn Mills pitches against Patrick Henry on Wednesday. Mills and fellow freshman Amber Ingram do most of the pitching for the Buffaloes.

Although she's pitched only a few games at the varsity level, Floyd County freshman Amber Ingram is quickly showing signs of maturing.

Floyd County's Katelyn Mills (left) jokes with Amber Ingram in the dugout between innings during a game against Patrick Henry. "I knew Amber, Katelyn and the other freshmen would be talented, and I think they've been very composed so far," coach Wes Starkey said.

FLOYD -- Any good softball coach will tell you that good pitching always beats good hitting. Wes Starkey is a good softball coach, and he can tell you about good pitching this season.

Starkey's Floyd County High Buffaloes are 8-4, 3-1 in Three Rivers District play. Their only district loss came in a 1-0 pitcher's dual against defending Group A champion Glenvar. The three other losses came by a total of four runs against AA competition.

Though many of its games have been tight affairs, Floyd County has depended on young arms. Freshmen Amber Ingram and Katelyn Mills do most of the hurling, and they've performed well.

At the start of the week, Ingram had pitched 31 innings and allowed only two earned runs. That's good for an earned run average of 0.45 and a 5-0 record. Her 41 strikeouts are the ninth highest total in the Timesland.

Though she's pitched only a few games at the varsity level, Ingram is quickly showing signs of maturing. At the end of last summer, Ingram began working with Ron Reynolds, a pitching coach in Roanoke. Reynolds has helped Ingram develop a rise ball, screw ball and drop ball to complement her fastball and changeup. She and Mills both travel to work with Reynolds multiple times every week, even during the season.

"Katelyn and I both usually go on the nights when we don't have games," Ingram said. "I definitely think I've become a stronger pitcher so far this year. We've practiced so much and I'm starting to feel confident on the mound."

Though she is developing multiple pitches, Ingram remains quite confident in her fastball. Starkey has become confident in all her pitches.

"Because of the speed, I think the fastball is probably one of Amber's strongest pitches," Starkey said, "but she gets good movement on all her pitches, so she doesn't have to rely on a single pitch."

Usually the starting shortstop, Mills has put up similar numbers to Ingram when she gets on the mound. Mills' 0.70 ERA was seventh in the Timesland. She's given up only two earned runs in 20 innings.

"Only being a freshman, I still get a little nervous when I get on the mound," Mills said. "But I'm starting to feel more comfortable as I pitch more and get innings behind me."

For Starkey, the most impressive aspect of Mills' and Ingram's freshman campaign has been their composure.

"I knew Amber, Katelyn and the other freshmen would be talented, and I think they've been very composed so far," Starkey said. "Amber is able to stay very composed, and I think her key is the ability to pitch just as well in pressure situations as juniors or seniors might."

"Katelyn is as composed as Amber on the mound, but we just haven't given her the same kind of run support that we have Amber so far. Certainly, her ability on the mound is not reflected in her win-loss record."

The freshmen's maturity is likely in part due to the leadership of Starkey's older players. Floyd's roster is anchored by a group of seven juniors, many of who have been playing on the varsity level since they were freshmen.

Included among the juniors are co-captains Marissa Bowman at second base and Chelsea Link at first, and third basemen Kelly Walters. Joining those three juniors in the infield are freshman catcher Alexis Roop and Ingram and Mills, who platoon at shortstop.

Starkey has been impressed with how the veterans have made the newcomers feel welcome this year.

"A lot of times when you have a young team, a lot of people don't know what to expect as far as wins and losses," Starkey said. "But I've been most impressed with how well the young girls have meshed with the older players. They've taken the freshmen in as a part of the team, and I think that's helped them play very confidently."

Bowman and Link invested themselves in leading the team early on. They've each set goals for themselves and the team.

"I try to pump everybody up and make sure that we stay confident as a team," Link said. "I am a captain this year, but I like to think that I've been a leader the last few years. I think that means I need to be smart on defense especially. I want to make sure that if the ball comes to me, I know exactly where to go with it. I try to communicate that to the other players on the field."

"I don't want to be bossy with the younger girls, but they do look up to you. So it is important to be a good role model," Bowman added. "I think I've definitely improved my leadership skills and worked on both hitting and fielding a lot. I made goals at the beginning of the season to bat at least .500 and make no more than five errors this year. I've only made one error so far."

In the coming weeks, the Buffaloes hope to make a run at the Three Rivers District title. With the likes of Glenvar and Auburn in the mix, advancing to the Region C tournament will be no easy feat. Though they are currently a game behind Glenvar in the standings, the Buffaloes control their seeding because they play both Auburn and Glenvar again. The Buffaloes play Auburn for the second time today and a win would mean a regular season sweep of the Eagles.

Starkey knows his team has been a surprise so far this year, but there is plenty of work to be done before tournament time.

"Our defense and pitching have been consistently good, but we need to execute better offensively," Starkey said. "Inadequacy at the plate sometimes hinges on who you're playing. Obviously, with the likes of Dindinger at Auburn and Buckley at Glenvar, you're going to have some trouble. But if we're able to put more balls in play and strike out less, I think we'll have a strong chance to do well in the district tournament."