GHSA playoffs, first round
Best-of-three seriesDoubleheaders todayClass AAAAAADalton (15-14) at Alexander (21-8), 5Class AAAACedartown (10-14) at Heritage (20-8), 3Troup (11-14) at Northwest Whitfield (25-4), 5Ridgeland (23-7) at Central, Carroll (17-7), 5LaFayette (17-10) at Chapel Hill (18-9), 5:30Class AAAPace Academy (16-7) at Lakeview-F.O. (20-12), 4:30Sonoraville (16-15) at Lovett (16-7), 5:45Cedar Grove (9-16) at Calhoun (22-8), 6Class AAMonticello (19-5) at Dade County (18-14), 4Class A publicJenkins County (10-10) at Trion (15-7), 4Class A privateChristian Heritage (11-13) at Strong Rock Christian (7-13), 5
Reaching the Georgia softball playoffs is hardly anything new for the Calhoun and Heritage programs. How each team made the GHSA postseason this year, however, is quite unusual for two of the state's perennial contenders.
The stories are similar in many ways. Each overcame adversity, though quite different in nature, and each worked through substandard regular seasons to get hot at the right time. They enter today's first round of the playoffs as No. 1 seeds and playing their best ball.
"The biggest thing this year with my girls is that they never quit believing in each other," said Calhoun coach Diane Smith, whose team has endured three senior starters quitting the team and a rash of injuries. "We've got the right mix of experience and youth, and the seniors we have left are being great leaders."
First-year Heritage coach Tanner Moore inherited a team coming off an emotionally draining year that was sidetracked by the tragic death of then-coach Jason Carter's daughter and his subsequent resignation to help his family heal.
In addition to four all-star players graduating, Moore and his staff, which includes new assistant coaches Courtney and Megan Crawford, had to find a way to get the fun back into the game. After a slow start the Lady Generals (20-8) won their last six games, including a sweep of the region tournament after entering as the No. 4 seed.
"I think they just love the game again," said Moore, a former Heritage assistant who coached at Lee University the past two years. "They are playing with passion and energy. You can respect the game and the opponent but play with energy at all times, and they are."
Heritage's surge has been spurred by a lineup that's caught fire at the same time. Led by senior Madi Morris, who had 11 RBIs in two tournament games last week, the Lady Generals have scored at least seven runs in each of the six wins, including four of 13 or more runs.
"Confidence is a huge thing, especially as a hitter," said Moore, whose team hosts Cedartown in a Class AAAA doubleheader today. "They've swung it well, especially Madi Morris. Pound for pound she is the strongest female in our school. She's very, very confident in her game.
"She struggled at times focusing on what we want to do at the plate early on, and it's taken a little bit to understand that teams are going to pitch around her at times. She's now on a hot streak, something I've never seen in a stretch of games like this."
The Calhoun turnaround - the Lady Yellow Jackets (22-8) were just the No. 3 seed from their half of the subregion last week - has come in the circle. Two of the starters who left the team were pitchers, but junior Blair Hall and freshman Maggie McBrayer have stepped in to lead the program that also graduated six players who will play in college this year.
Each will start a game today as Calhoun hosts Cedar Grove in a Class AAA doubleheader.
"Those girls (Hall and McBrayer) have really stepped up," Smith said after a six-game stretch in which the two allowed two or fewer runs five times. "Hey, we're swinging it better and the girls are having fun again. We're right where we want to be."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.