KFHS star follows in sister’s footsteps

With her play on the softball field, sophomore Jasmine Holloman is one of the reasons the King’s Fork High School team is in the Southeastern District playoffs this year.

With a stellar offensive performance in a recent game against Indian River High School, she has gone on to become the Suffolk News-Herald’s Player of the Week.

After a disheartening, last-second loss a couple of days before to Nansemond River High School, the Lady Bulldogs greatly needed the win against Indian River. Holloman made sure it would happen by going 3-for-4 with a double and a grand-slam home run that was officially ruled a “four-bag award,” since the outfielder got her glove on it in an unsuccessful put-out attempt.

“I was really excited, because my hitting had really gone down (lately), so when I got up to plate, I was just like, ‘I really need the hit,’ because I had three runners on base,” she said.

“I didn’t want to leave them out there. So when I got up there, I just swung, and when I saw it kind of go over, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, really?’ because I’ve never hit a home run before.”

King’s Fork head coach Richard Froemel is grateful for her versatility. He notes that she is a contact hitter, but she also has strength, and while she plays second base and outfield for her travel ball team, she plays shortstop for the Lady Bulldogs.

“She comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience,” he said.

Her father, John Holloman, is an assistant coach at King’s Fork and also coaches her travel ball team, the Richmond Ruckus. Her older sister, Lindsey Holloman, was a star for the Lady Bulldogs and has gone on to achieve success in college at University of North Carolina Charlotte.

“She’s getting it at home and at school,” Froemel said. “She’s eating and living softball.”

The appetizer for this diet was served when she was 7, playing with Bennett’s Creek Little League. After five years there, she competed with the Virginia Legends travel ball team, and from there she went to the Virginia Lady Eagles softball team, where her father began coaching her. Now, she is with the Ruckus.

“Over the last several years, I’ve definitely improved,” Holloman said. “I’ve had to go through a lot to get here.”

She credits her father with aiding in that development.

“He definitely helps me after each game if he doesn’t feel like I’ve (played) where my potential is,” she said. “We’ll go home, and he’ll be like, ‘You need to hit for 30 minutes,’ and we’ll go out there and hit for 30 minutes after the game.”

Holloman said her sister, Lindsey, was the one who got her into the sport, “because I pretty much went to every game that she had, and just watching her, she inspired me to play.”

Following in Lindsey’s footsteps to play college ball is the plan. Lindsey shared what it was like to know her sister sees her as an example to follow.

“It’s a nice feeling,” she said. “Me and her are really close, so it’s nice that we have that bond.”

“I’m proud of her. It’s nice to come out and watch her play. She’s giving it her all.”

“When I go out there, I try to do my best,” Jasmine said. “I’m not the only one on the team, so I know that I have to work for the other girls, and I believe that in order to start on the field, I need to perform. So I try to go out there and perform each day, so (the coach) has no reason to want to put me on the bench.”

Nominees

Following are this week’s Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week nominees:

• Blake Harris, sophomore for Lakeland High School baseball — He went 2-for-3 with two doubles and pitched for the win to give the Cavaliers their second victory of the season, 2-0 over host Deep Creek High School.
• Harris Howell, senior for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy lacrosse — In his final home game as a Saint, he poured in four goals and two assists, leading to an 11-7 victory over Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in the first round of the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools tournament.
• Shawn Moose, freshman for Suffolk Christian Academy baseball — He earned the conference tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor after he helped the Knights advance to the championship in an 8-5 win over the Beach Breakers, pitching five and a third innings, allowing five hits and throwing 12 strikeouts. Then, in the title game he pitched the seventh and earned the save.
• Casey Wood, senior for Nansemond River High School tennis — She was the No. 1 player for the Lady Warriors this season, going 7-3 and outscoring her opponents 107-49. This week, she advanced to the second round for singles in the district tournament and the semifinals for doubles, and she was named to the all-district first team.

Vote by 7 p.m. Wednesday by sending an email with the subject “Player of the Week” to sports@suffolknewsherald.com. You can also vote on our Facebook page and on the Suffolk News-Herald homepage.

Next Sunday, we’ll feature the readers’ choice in a story on the sports page. Spread the word.