A season of change is underway for the area’s GHSA fastpitch softball scene as teams hit the field — some this past week, with others joining them by playing their openers in the coming days — without several familiar faces.
Six area teams will be led by new coaches, including those at Calhoun, where Diane Smith retired after 39 seasons and three state championships, and at Heritage, where Megan Crawford stepped down to concentrate on her family after leading the program to back-to-back state titles.
Allie (formerly Blackwood) Kirby, a former Dalton star, has stepped in at Calhoun, while former Heritage player and assistant coach Reagan Armour is now in charge at her alma mater.
Other new coaches include Melissa (Hendon) Seaborn at Ringgold (her alma mater), former Gordon Lee star Samantha (Floyd) Tracy at Ridgeland, Thomas Gray at Northwest Whitfield and JJ Trowell at Dalton.
Area teams have won a combined 21 state titles since 2012, with 12 of them belonging to coach Dana Mull at Gordon Lee. The Lady Trojans are the reigning Class A Division I champs, but they lost Times Free Press Best of Preps softball player of the year Gracie Helton, who signed with Pittsburgh, and longtime starters EG Hixon and Tenslee Wilson.