Pitching has always been the key in fastpitch softball, and with the move of the pitching rubber to 43 feet this season in Georgia, that importance will only be magnfied.
Tony Ellis, at least, hopes so.
The Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe coach has several reasons to be excited about the season. Two of them are senior pitchers Monica Vickery and Maddie Bray, another is the return of all but one starter from last year’s Class AAA final four team and yet another is the fact the team will compete in Class AA this year following reclassification.
Are the Lady Warriors state title material? Ellis isn’t ready to go that far.
“We feel we could compete in Class AAA or even AAAA for that matter,” said Ellis, who was also recently named the school’s baseball coach. “I think there are some good teams in our region (7-AA), but from top to bottom, last year in 6-AAA was the toughest in the state. I don’t know if this one is as tough as that one was, but there are still some tough teams we have to face.