Youthful LaFayette ready to prove itself
After a little more than a decade after helping the Ringgold Lady Tigers to a state championship, Megan (Qualls) Base has come back to the northwest Georgia area to try and help the LaFayette Lady Ramblers keep their momentum going.
Base and her twin sister Morgan (Lock), who will help out this season as a lay coach, were members of the 2005 Class AAAA state title team at Ringgold. By the time they graduated in 2007, they had claimed a state championship, two region titles and won 130 games in Lady Tiger uniforms.
Base went on to play at Chattanooga State and at Armstrong Atlantic in Savannah. She comes to LaFayette after a stint as a coach at McIntosh County Academy in Darien, Ga. and is taking over for Glen Woodard, who stepped down as the Lady Ramblers’ head coach last year after a decade in charge.
“It feels good to be back,” she said. “My husband (Chris) and I are excited to be back and closer to family. We missed out on all the kids growing up and everything, but we’re excited to be back home.”
She added that she is seeing a lot of hard work from her new team as a new season approaches.
“We started summer workouts (in mid-June) and we’ve had great participation,” she continued. “They’ve been really excited to get in the weight room. It will be the first time (in the weight room) for some of them and some of them played travel ball this summer, but they’re just ready to get school ball started.”
Not only is Base taking on the challenge of heading up a program, she’s also doing it without the benefit of a senior class. LaFayette graduated eight talented seniors last season, but will begin this season without a fourth-year player on the roster. However, she said she is looking toward her juniors and returning underclassmen to take on leadership roles.
“My junior class is really good at leading,” she said. “They are really taking that role and running with it and I’m also treating the ninth and 10th graders like seniors right now. The other girls are even looking at the underclassmen as upperclassmen and letting them lead the
team as they see fit.”
LaFayette’s junior class will consist of infielder Shelby Adkins, catcher/outfielder Shyenne Youngblood, pitcher/infielder Ashton Stalling and outfielders Mackenzie Nicholson, Hannuh Southern and Sierra Bowman. Stalling was a Walker County Dream Team honorable mention pick last season, after hitting .269 with four doubles and 10 RBIs and winning two games as a pitcher with a 3.13 ERA.
The Lady Ramblers will have an even bigger group of sophomores. The class includes infielder/catcher Sam Adkins, middle infielder Megan Wilson, corner infielder Cassidy Boyd, second baseman Hannah Griffin, pitcher/first baseman Madison Pettigrew and outfielders Marquilla Howell and Nicky Yancy. Yancy, another pitcher, was second
team All-Region last season.
Pettigrew hit .356 a year ago and earned Dream Team and AllRegion first team honors by adding five doubles and a team-high 21 RBIs. She also led the team in pitching wins (6), innings pitched (99.2) and saves (2), while sporting a 2.32 ERA. Howell was named to the Dream Team first team after hitting .368 in 22 games and Yancy was a Dream Team honorable mention selection as she played in all 32 games, batting .264 with three doubles and 12 RBIs.
The largest class is the freshman contingent, which will include first baseman Anna Grace Gilreath, middle infielder Railee Lynn, utility player Carlee Corbin, pitcher Miccaylah Thompson, catchers Madi Ashley and Trinity Bell and outfielders Chastey Osborn, Kensly Wooten and Jada Smith.
Also joining the staff as a bench coach
is Chris Base, Megan’s husband, who will be coaching the Ramblers’ baseball team next spring.
The Lady Ramblers went 16-16 last year, but 10-8 in alwaystough Region 6-AAAA. They finished third in the region playoffs after knocking off Heritage, but dropped two heartbreaking 1-0 decisions to Stephens County in the opening round of the state playoffs.
“(LaFayette) graduated a lot of players from last year, but that doesn’t matter to these girls,” Base explained. “They are ready to get back to the state playoffs. They are willing to work. They want to learn and they are easily coached.
“We’ve got four who can pitch, so we’re pretty set there. Hitting is our main focus right now and they are doing well at it. The goal is a playoff run, but I think just finishing with a winning record would count as a successful season for the girls.”