After a somewhat slow start to the season, the Lake Oconee Academy softball team turned things around once the team got into region play.
The Lady Titans went 2-9 through their first 11 games, but since the bulk of their region schedule began earlier last September, head coach Keetah Singleton has seen exceptional determination from her squad to win.
LOA finished the regular season 9-5 in its last 14 contests and went 11-1 in region play to become the Class A Division II Region 8 champions heading into the first round of the state playoffs.
Singleton attributes the girls’ late-season success to their willingness to fight and their belief in this year’s team motto.
“Our motto for this year was relentless and I think they’ve proven that. They’ve kept going and kept fighting, no matter the obstacle,” Singleton said. “One of the sayings our girls have is, ‘it just takes one.’ It helps keep their focus. It only takes one good hit, one good out to get the momentum going.”
The team’s drive to get better at practice has paid off in all aspects of the game.
Over the course of LOA’s 12 region games, the Lady Titans outscored opponents by a little over 10 runs per game. Their only loss came against Region 8 runner-up, Washington-Wilkes.
According to Singleton, there have been many bats across the lineup that have stepped up since the start of the season.
“Freshman Beth Harris has come alive, and she’s been stroking the ball really well recently. Kaylee Stewart has also started to come alive,” Singleton said. “Jacy Singleton and Gracie Stanford are continuing to hit the ball well, and I could just continue down the lineup.
Everyone has seemed to find a rhythm.”
The Lady Titans’ defense also saw great improvements.
Lake Oconee Academy only gave up 18 runs in region competition, and both starting pitchers, Mackenzie Burnette and Singleton, have been instrumental in keeping opposing teams off the base paths.
Singleton leads the team in strikeouts with 92 and ERA, which is currently sitting just above 3.5. Burnette has also contributed with 54 strikeouts through 59 innings and has only given up 35 walks.
Singleton believes the two pitchers will be able to come out on top during the postseason.
“Our pitching staff between (Jacy) Singleton and Burnette have done a phenomenal job on the mound,” Singleton said. “They’ve done their job in terms of moving the ball over and making sure it’s live so that the defense can do its job. They’ve definitely gotten stronger as the season has gone on.”
Lake Oconee Academy’s performance during region play has earned the Titans a top seed and home-field advantage heading into the GHSA’s first-ever Super Regional format.
This year, top teams from all eight regions host a Super Regional in which the tournament is double elimination. The overall winners of each regional move onto the Elite Eight, which will be played the during last week of October in Columbus, Ga.
LOA will have a first-round bye given the uneven number of teams in its group, with GMC Prep and Taylor County playing the first game to determine who heads to the loser’s bracket first.
A positive for the Titans is that they have already seen the Lady Bulldogs in the regular season, so the competition is somewhat familiar.
Ultimately, Singleton is confident in her girls’ ability to continue to stay hot and potentially make a run in the playoffs, especially with the first couple of games being at home.
“We’re now down to the best 32 teams in the state, essentially. Everyone is coming in with probably about the same level of competition experience, and they all have the same goal in mind,” Singleton said. “We’ll have to step it up and intensify a little more, but seeing teams like GMC during the regular season showed us we can compete with just about anybody.”