Even though the Lake Oconee Academy softball team’s season ended earlier than they would have liked it to, the Lady Titans still have a lot to be proud of after recently ending its 2022 season.
They had a rough start and lost five in a row before winning their first game of the year 12-0 over the Jasper County Hurricanes midway through August. As the team got into region play, players found more of a rhythm on the field.
Junior Jacy Singleton headlined the Lady Titans’ squad both at the plate and on the mound. She and Mackenzie Burnette were the dynamic duo head coach Keetah Singleton would rotate between most games.
The two pitchers combined for 146 strikeouts in 133 total innings pitched and only added 93 runs over the course of almost 30 games.
In terms of performances at the plate, Singleton was Lake Oconee Academy’s leading hitter, batting a whopping .500 through 25 games. She led the team in hits and RBIs with 35 and 25 respectively.
On top of that, other players like Gracie Stanford and Mary Claire McCommons hit the ball well as the season progressed. McCommons tied Singleton for most runs scored, and Stanford was second on the team in batting average and third in RBIs with 17.
By the end of the year, Singleton admitted that all of her players were finding success in the batter’s box. Half of the Lady Titans’ players ended up batting over .230 on the season.
This explosive play led to Lake Oconee Academy finishing 11-1 in region play which earned the team a region championship, and the Lady Titans were able to host their super regional after being named as a top seed heading into the Class 1-A state playoffs.
Unfortunately, Lake Oconee Academy would eventually fall short to eventual state finalist GMC Prep in two tough games at home.
Regardless of how it ended, the Lady Titans had a season to be proud of and have a lot to look forward to in the future.
Stanford along with Ava Johnson and Jordan Nichols are the only seniors that will be graduating from the team, but coach Singleton will return 10 varsity players as well as more coming up from the middle school and junior varsity levels.
Overall, Lake Oconee Academy saw a big improvement from the 2021 season, and will look to use this year as a learning experience for a young team.