SOFTBALL: Young, talented Ringgold team could be a major contender in 6-AAA
A young, talented Ringgold softball team could be a major contender in 6-AAA
The sun had finally burned off the morning fog and was relentlessly beating down on Hazel Brown Field, still damp from a sizeable overnight shower.
There were a few pools of standing water in the dugout that had not yet evaporated with the heat of the morning, but even the mugginess of the day couldn’t take the smile off Ringgold head coach Daniel Hackett’s face as he watched his Lady Tigers go through an Aug. 1 practice.
What Hackett knows, and what teams in north Georgia are quickly realizing, is that his team is good and only getting better. Ringgold lost just one senior from last year’s roster and is bringing back a wealth of talent and depth at virtually every spot on the field as they look to make a serious push for a Region 6-AAA championship.
“I think our maturity has grown a lot,” he said. “I think our maturity at the plate is going to show, probably more so with our pitch selection and our approach. We had some young athletes that got in games last year and we’re bringing them back.”
That list contains names of seven players that earned All-region honors a year ago, including a pair of first-team selections in junior outfielder Amber Gainer (.350, three doubles, one triple, four homers, 27 runs scored) and sophomore catcher Baileigh Pitts (.405, 10 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 36 RBIS).
“A lot like last year, we have power and we have discipline, but if we’ve added anything this year, it’s probably a little more speed,” Hackett beamed. “We’ve got some freshmen that will help us tremendously in that area.”
This year’s senior class includes pitcher Kaylee Phillips, a workhorse now in her fourth year as a starter, who also came up with some timely hits for the Lady Tigers in 2018. Ringgold will have another good arm in hard-throwing Taylor Thomas, who will serve as the team’s No. 2 pitcher in what is quickly becoming a deep starting rotation.
Power-hitting Shelby Cole will once again hold down the centerfield spot, while the Lady Tigers are happy to have Rachel Akers on the roster. Akers will play first base in her first year back on the diamond since middle school.
“You couldn’t ask for a better group of leaders,” Hackett said of his senior quartet. “They show it more with their actions because they’re pretty quiet girls, but they won’t hesitate to jump on you if you need it. Their actions really show their leadership and you couldn’t ask for more. There’s not one thing they wouldn’t do for me and there’s not one thing that I wouldn’t do for them.”
The junior class includes Gainer and her twin sister, Jade, a third baseman, who also possesses incredible speed. Shortstop Riley Nayadley and second baseman Caroline Hemphill are also back, along with another strong hitter in corner infielder Alex Huerta.
In addition to Pitts, Ringgold’s sophomore class features Ava Raby, who will split time with Pitts behind the plate and give the Lady Tigers another homerun threat. Taylor Layne pitched last year, but could see additional time in the outfield this fall, while another outfielder, Autumn Green, will bring even more top-end speed to the lineup. The class is rounded out by utility player Addi Broome, a solid first baseman, who is also a slick-fielding middle infielder.
The roster is rounded out by four freshmen, all of whom will be competing for
playing time with the varsity this fall.
Pitcher Maddy Bacon, utility players Riley Heard and Hannah Scott and outfielder/ pitcher Aubrey Lakin are all talented athletes with tons of potential and Hackett says he is looking forward to seeing what they can do at the prep level.
Danny Wiltz will be back to assist this season, while the new face in the dugout will be a familiar one in former Lady Tiger, Aimie Davidson, who spent last year as a graduate assistant at Chattanooga State.
After advancing to the second round of the Class 3A state tournament last season, Hackett says he doesn’t want his team slowing down this year.
“If we have the momentum, we need to go with it,” he added. “It’s a short season and we need to go full throttle the whole time.”