The Gatewood softball team may have graduated five seniors from last year’s successful squad, but head coach Dena Stancil believes the Lady Gators have the talent and experience necessary to make another deep postseason run.
After reaching the Elite Eight in Columbus last season, Gatewood enters the 2026 campaign with high expectations and a roster filled with players who have already experienced success.
“We lost five seniors, and that’s always a tough loss when you’ve got that many who contributed to the success of the season,” Stancil said. “But we've got most of the team returning, and we’re still looking pretty good.”
Leading the way is veteran Avery Hill, now the lone senior on the roster. A longtime member of the program, Hill has stepped into a leadership role during the offseason.
“She’s been in the program since she was in sixth grade,” Stancil said. “She's done a good job this summer leading the way and holding others accountable.”
The foundation of the team, however, may be its talented sophomore class. Several players have been competing at the varsity level since middle school and are entering their third season against top competition.
Among those standouts are power hitters Lily Arthur and Alexis Thrift, while Gracie Lowery returns as the team’s primary pitcher.
Those underclassmen gained valuable experience during last year’s postseason run, something Stancil believes will pay dividends this season.
“I think they got a taste of what success is supposed to feel like,” Stancil said. “The coaching has shifted some from just fundamentals to helping them understand that they can do this. We have the talent. We can go win a state championship this year.”
Stancil said that mindset has become a major focus of the team's summer workouts.
“For so long, I feel like the program was just scraping by and doing what we could do,” she said. “Now, we’re in a position where we’ve got the talent. We just have to buy in and believe we can be champions.”
Lowery headlines a pitching staff that should provide plenty of depth throughout the season. The sophomore has continued to develop her velocity and expand her pitch repertoire after already spending two years on the varsity roster.
“She’s been working consistently throughout the year on speed and different pitches,” Stancil said. “She’s getting to where she can move the ball pretty good.”
Arthur, Thrift, and Hill also give the Lady Gators additional options in the circle, creating flexibility for the coaching staff.
“I’ve got four or five good pitchers that’ll get us through the season,” Stancil said.
One challenge, however, is that several of those pitchers also play key defensive positions. Using them in the circle means finding replacements elsewhere on the field, though Stancil said some talented eighth graders could help fill those gaps.
Throughout June, Gatewood has focused on strength training, batting cage work, and scrimmages. The Lady Gators recently faced GMC Prep in a preseason scrimmage and will host another exhibition against the Bulldogs in early July.
Additional summer competition includes trips to Dublin to face public school opponents before wrapping up the offseason schedule with a tournament at Windsor Academy in Macon.
While specific team goals will be established once the entire roster is together, Stancil knows the formula she wants her team to follow.
“I’d like to see us focus on the small things and perfect our fundamentals,” she said. “Trust that the little things lead to success in the big things.”