Soddy-Daisy High School's softball team now has seven state championships. And the school now has one father-daughter, baseball-softball championship pair.
Mariam Wood was a key contributor all season for Soddy-Daisy, which won the Class AAA state title last weekend in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Her father, Dr. Richie Wood, has been the Lady Trojans' scorekeeper the last two seasons and played on Soddy-Daisy's state-championship baseball team in 1977.
"It was a most unbelievable feeling," said Dr. Wood, who earned his doctorate in 2004 and teaches anatomy and physiology at Soddy-Daisy. "You work all year to achieve that. It's up there equal when you see your child win one. It was very thrilling to watch."
The Lady Trojans are currently ranked No. 7 nationally in both the ESPN Rise FAB 50 and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Today Top 25. The national recognition is a by-product of a 52-2 season.
"We knew we had a lot of good players, but none of us thought we could be that high in the polls," Mariam Wood said. "We were all excited when we first found out we were in there, then we just kept on climbing higher and higher. I can't wait to see where we end up. But, I know we weren't as concerned with the polls as we were with winning the state."
Dr. Wood, who pitched and played right field, was a senior on his championship team. His daughter and first baseman was a junior this season.
She said she's excited about next season and is ready to get it started. There could be some prodding going on if she was part of another title-winner.
"I think he'd be jealous," Mariam said. "Then I'd rub it in his face."
Sounds like that's what Dad has been doing all these years.
"If she won another one, then she'd beat Dad," he said. "But that would be great. I'd love it."
Mariam also hopes to have a family and send any child she might have to Soddy-Daisy. Could a softball-playing daughter or baseball-playing son of hers make the lineage three?
"There better be," Mariam said.
Richardsons make it two
Another duo joined the father-daughter, baseball-softball championship combo this weekend in Murfreesboro when GPS won the Division II-AA championship.
Third baseman Katie Richardson was a valuable member of the Bruisers' team all season and played a big part in their championship run. She is the daughter of McCallie baseball coach Chris Richardson, who was a member of Central's 1985 state-winning baseball team.
He was in attendance when GPS registered its final out of the tournament late Friday night, and couldn't have been happier.
"It was so exciting," Katie said. "It's kind of like you can't believe it, but you know you just did it."
Katie has had possession of her father's championship ring all season. It's either been in the drawstring bag she carries with her, or on her finger.
Now rather than her having one and him having one, she'll have two. That's OK with Chris, a senior outfielder in '85 and a self-proclaimed role player.
"She's a lot better than I was," Chris said.
Dad can take comfort in knowing his daughter had a better season than many of the girls who played in the Chattanooga area this year, and she has three more prep seasons remaining.
"We're going to have to step it up," Katie said regarding next season. "Some of our key hitters and players this year were seniors. We still have talent to probably do it. But, we have to be not just about talent and think about the teamwork that goes into it."