If Steve Chattin and Tony Ellis have their way, their region softball tournaments will follow the path set by Region 7-AAAA next season.
That region, which includes Northwest Whitfield in this area, pits its two top seeds in a best-of-three series to determine the tournament champion and runner-up. The remaining teams battle it out for the final two spots in the state playoffs.
Regions 7-AAA and 7-AA, which begin play tonight, reward regular-season champions with first-round byes, but those teams still have to win two games to make it to the state tournament.
“I would be all over doing what 7-AAAA is doing,” said Ellis of Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, the 7-AA subregion B top seed. “You should reward the top teams and make the regular season mean something. I would say that even if we weren’t a top seed.”
Added Heritage coach Chattin, whose team is the No. 2 seed in 7-AAA: “I hope to bring that up for next year. I think it’s a better way of choosing your champion and runner-up.”
The 7-AAA field, according to Chattin, is top-heavy with five teams capable of winning the tournament title: top seed Allatoona, Heritage, Ridgeland, LaFayette and Ringgold.
In 7-AA the subregions did not play each other in the regular season, giving the tournament more of an unknown factor. Rockmart, the 2009 state runner-up, is the top seed from the A subregion, with 15-3 River Ridge the No. 2. Joining LFO as B subregion top three seeds are Calhoun and Dade County.
In 7-AAAA, defending champion Northwest has work to do to repeat. The third seed from the A subregion will have to win at least three games to earn one of the two playoff berths.
n Gordon Lee already is in the Class A state tournament. The 29-0 Lady Trojans downed Excel Christian 8-0 in the Region 6 winners-bracket final Thursday at Rome’s Alto Park.
Top-ranked Gordon Lee has defeated third-ranked Excel three times this season, that team’s only three loses. The Lady Trojans will play the losers-bracket winner tonight at 6 in the championship round.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.
Lindsey Young is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who started work at the Chattanooga News-Free Press 24 years ago. He covers the Northwest Georgia prep beat and NASCAR. Lindsey’s hometown is Ringgold, Ga., and he graduated from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School. He received an associate’s degree from Dalton Junior College (now Dalton State) and a bachelor’s degree in communications from UTC. He has won several writing awards, including two Tennessee Sports ...
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