GREENE COUNTY
Even after a tough defeat in the state playoffs, the Lake Oconee Academy softball program has taken tremendous strides over the last couple of years.
The Lady Titans made it to the GHSA state playoffs earlier last month after defeating Johnson County twice in the regional bracket, but eventually fell to Bowdon High School in the regional final.
Head coach Keetah Singleton told the Lake Oconee News that she couldn’t be more proud of what the girls accomplished this season.
“Overall, it was a good season. We finished 14-13 and were able to beat some very good powerhouses like GMC Prep, Brentwood and Commerce,” Singleton said. “This year was the first time we beat GMC, and I can’t say enough about the girls’ effort. They scrapped and fought all season long, never giving up. The playoffs were tough. We were able to beat Johnson County twice and were up on Bowdon 2-0, but we let that get away from us and lost 4-2 in that championship game. I still couldn’t be more proud of the girls and their effort.”
This year marked the first season since 2019 that Lake Oconee Academy finished with a winning record, and the Lady Titans continued to dominate in region play.
Singleton’s squad went 6-2 in area play with their only losses coming against Washington-Wilkes twice.
For their outstanding performances, six Lady Titan players were named to all-region teams at the end of the year, and Singleton acknowledged that all of them were important to the team’s success.
“Both of our seniors, Jacy [Singleton] and Makenzie [Burnette] carried us on the mound all season and earned first-team all-region spots,” Singleton said. “Mary Claire McCommons was behind the plate and was exceptional all year. She’s probably one of the best catchers I’ve ever seen play the game at this level. Kaylee Stewart was another junior named to first-team all-region and her bat was pretty much hot all season.
"Laura Beth Harris was a sophomore named to the all-region team. She led the team in batting average and came up big in multiple clutch moments throughout the season. Addison Kelly was our freshman named to the second all-region team, and she really improved as the season went on.”
Furthermore, Singleton praised her two senior pitchers for holding it down on the mound all season. She will especially miss being able to coach her daughter.
“Jacy and Makenzie were two great leaders, on and off the field,” Singleton said. “They will be missed greatly, but I know they are going to go on to do great things. It’s tough knowing this is the last time I will get to coach my daughter. She’s had a good run since she was about five years old, so I’m super proud of her and what she’s been able to accomplish, even as the ‘coach’s kid.’”
In a season that is almost 30 games long, Singleton acknowledged that she couldn’t have handled the workload all by herself.
She attributed the team’s ongoing progression to her assistants on staff, knowing she couldn’t have done it without them.
“I couldn’t have done it all by myself. It’s too big of a task to try and handle alone,” Singleton said. “I’m blessed to have Elizabeth Hiter and Kelly Maybin on staff with me. They bring a lot of knowledge of all aspects of the game to the team, and our middle school coaches are included, as well. They won that league championship for the first time this year, and that’s huge because those girls will be in our program soon.”
Even though Lake Oconee Academy loses its two senior pitchers, Singleton is confident that the program will continue to succeed in the coming years.
The Lady Titans return 80 percent of its current roster and will add incoming freshmen into the fold next year.
Singleton believes the increase of softball interest in the area as a whole is contributing to the program’s progression.
“I’m excited for the future of this program because it is young,” Singleton said. “We’re going to be a little weak on the mound at first because we’ll have two young bucks on the mound, but I’m excited about the younger group of girls we got coming up. Most of them have a lot of travel ball experience, so that will be crucial for us to start next season. The future of the program is on its way up though, because the desire to play is trickling down to all age groups in the area, and we’re constantly getting new girls out on the field.”