Northwest Georgia has won more GHSA fastpitch softball titles over the past decade than any other part of the state, and with seven local teams beginning play Thursday at the state tournament in Columbus, more championships are likely to be added to the count.
From 2010 on, the area has had at least one champion each year, and from 2012 to 2020, teams from the counties of Catoosa, Dade, Gordon, Walker and Whitfield won a combined 20 titles, including three each of the past two seasons and at least two each of the past four.
Northwest Georgia's state tournament participants this year range from Gordon Lee's Lady Trojans, whose 11 all-time titles are a GHSA fastpitch record, to two programs seeking their first championship as Chattooga and Sonoraville make the trip.
Due to rain in the forecast, GHSA officials have revised the schedule so all teams will play one game Thursday in Columbus, with Class A beginning at 2 p.m., AA and AAA at 4 and AAAA and AAAAA at 6.
Here's a closer look at each local team and its path to bringing home the big trophy.
Class A public
GORDON LEE
Coach Dana Mull's 28-3 team has won six consecutive titles, including each of the Class A public championships since the classification was divided between public and private schools. The obstacle this year was supposed to be inexperience. The Lady Trojans have started as many as five freshmen at times, but three of those first-year players are among six Gordon Lee hitters above .400, led by Ella Grace Hixon's .548 average and team-best 34 RBIs.
Two veterans, though, are the core. Pitcher Emma Langston, headed to Georgia, is 13-1 with a 1.28 ERA, with catcher Ali Farrow anchoring the middle of the lineup with a .478 average and 28 RBIs. Gordon Lee's state competition will be tough, led by ACE Charter (27-0) and Emanuel County Institute (26-3), the Lady Trojans' opening opponent in Columbus.
Staff file photo / Gordon Lee senior pitcher Emma Langston, pictured, and catcher Ali Farrow have provided experience for a team that has counted on younger players to contribute this season.Class AA
DADE COUNTY
The Lady Wolverines (26-2-1), who won the 2012 championship and are back in Columbus for the first time since 2016, open against Union County. Dade's top five hitters - Stella Henry, Ali Thompson, Kristen Fowler, Kami Counts and Kaitlyn Stinnett - combined for 44 hits as the team swept state playoff series with Callaway and Cook. Thompson, a junior outfielder, has been on fire with 16 RBIs in those games, and sophomore Kayleigh Warnock and senior Counts are a solid pitching duo.
CHATTOOGA
Veteran coach Jeff Bennett is going out in style. Months after announcing he would retire after the season, Bennett has the Lady Indians (20-5) among the final eight teams in the bracket for the first time in program history. Chattooga upset state power Berrien to advance to Columbus behind the red-hot Ally Croy. The shortstop had 12 RBIs in the three-game series, including a homer and four RBIs in an 8-7 thriller in game three. Clara Wyatt and Emma Howard give Bennett's team the pitching to keep going.
Class AAA
SONORAVILLE
The Phoenix (25-5), who finished second in 2018, open against Southeast Bulloch (19-4) after winning tough Region 6 and sweeping through two rounds of playoffs behind senior pitcher Taylor Long, who has committed to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Long is one of the state's best with a 22-1 record and 0.49 ERA, and she has allowed just 57 hits in 157 2/3 innings (a .106 average) while striking out an area-best 328 batters.
The field, though, is loaded with challenging teams such as Harlem (27-3), which edged LaFayette in two one-run games in the second round; Jackson (21-6), which ousted two-time reigning state champion Ringgold with the trip to Columbus on the line; and Appling County, which has one loss through 23 games this season.
Staff file photo / Northwest Whitfield pitcher Kylie Hayes (6) has been sharp in the postseason to help the Lady Bruins advance to the state tournament in Columbus as one of the final eight teams in Class AAAA.Class AAAA
HERITAGE
Heritage (21-3), which opens against North Oconee (20-10), has won the past three AAAA titles and boasts plenty of experience under first-year coach Megan Crawford, led by seniors Madeline Stone (.485, 25 RBIs) and Riley KoKinda (.446, 24 RBIs, 35 runs). Pitching was a question mark entering the season with the graduation of Rachel Gibson, but Kelsey Anderson and Addie Edwards have stepped in to form a solid starting staff.
NORTHWEST WHITFIELD
The Lady Bruins (24-10), who face Flowery Branch (17-8) to start, join Heritage from Region 7, which has four of the field's eight teams. Northwest, the champion in 2012 and 2013, has ridden the starting pitching of Kylie Hayes and Destin Jewell to Columbus. Hayes has not allowed an earned run while going 3-0 in two playoff rounds with 25 strikeouts in 21 innings. Region champion Central-Carroll (30-2) is the favorite.
Class AAAAA
CALHOUN
Veteran coach Diane Smith's Lady Yellow Jackets (21-13) are regular participants in Columbus, having won titles in 2014, '15 and '17. They open versus one of the classification's favorites (Loganville, which is 27-6) in a field that includes Chamblee (29-2) and Blessed Trinity (21-7). Athens Hudson and Avery Greeson, both of them sophomores, join senior Sydney Terry on a deep pitching staff, with a strong group of seniors - Paris Kirby (.484), Macy Brown, Espee Reyes and Molly Banks - anchoring the lineup.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.