Lake Oconee Academy softball isn’t starting the summer in a rush.
Instead, the Titans are taking a slower, more intentional approach to the offseason, one built around rest, recovery, and preparation for what head coach Glynn McDaniel believes could be a step forward for the program.
McDaniel said June has been kept largely voluntary, by design, after a long school year and spring season that demands a physical and mental reset.
“We try to give them a few weeks to be teenagers and enjoy stuff outside of being a student-athlete,” McDaniel said. “If they’re able to decompress and have that downtime, it makes them more well-rounded and recharges everybody.”
That philosophy carries through the summer schedule. June stays light. Early July stays similar. Then, by mid-July, things begin to shift — four days a week, more structure, and a heavier focus on installing what LOA wants to run heading into the season.
McDaniel said that balance is especially important at a smaller school, where many athletes compete in multiple sports and coaches often juggle multiple roles themselves.
When the Titans do ramp things back up, the expectation is a roster that looks deeper and more competitive than in recent years.
“I really feel like from a roster standpoint, this is one of the deepest teams we’ve ever had,” McDaniel said. “We’re not the most athletic we’ve ever been — we’ve had some incredible players come through here — but this group is as deep as we’ve been.”
That depth starts with experience at the top.
LOA will lean on a senior class that includes Addison Kelley, Elizabeth Moore, and Ella Strickland, a group McDaniel said brings production on the field and steady leadership off it.
“They’re even better people off the field,” he said. “From a captain's standpoint, we’re in really good shape with those three.”
The junior class is where much of the roster’s upside sits. Kaitlyn Mamay returns after earning Region Pitcher of the Year honors last season, giving LOA a proven arm in the circle.
Offensively, McDaniel pointed to Lola Slaughter as a difference-maker.
“She swings it as good as anybody we’ve had come through LOA,” he said. “Her work ethic is second to none.”
Add in a freshman group McDaniel described as one of the strongest he’s seen at the school, and competition for playing time is expected to be constant once practice ramps up.
That internal depth is part of the plan — not a byproduct of it.
The long-term goal hasn’t changed. LOA is still chasing a trip to Columbus, something the program has come close to but hasn’t yet secured.
“That’s our number-one goal,” McDaniel said. “We’ve had the talent and the coaching to get there before. For whatever reason, it’s eluded us. But I really feel like this group gives us our best chance yet.”
The Titans will open the season Aug. 1 with a home “Diamond Day” and will play roughly 25 to 26 games, with McDaniel intentionally building a non-region schedule designed to test his team before region play arrives.
That scheduling approach carries extra weight this year, with GHSA shifting to a power-ranking system for playoff qualification. While region champions earn automatic bids, at-large spots will be determined by a team’s overall body of work.
McDaniel said the new format makes every game more meaningful and adds another layer of strategy to scheduling.
“You want to have a good balance,” he said. "Hopefully, we’ve done that. If we don’t win the region, we want to have enough in our body of work to still be in the conversation.”
LOA’s region will feature Washington-Wilkes and Lincoln County, with Washington-Wilkes entering as the defending champion and early favorite. But McDaniel believes his team is positioned to compete.
There’s still plenty of time before the season gets going in August. But the approach is already clear in Greensboro: step back when needed, build depth when possible, and try to turn potential into something that lasts deeper into the postseason than ever before.
“We’ve got the tools,” McDaniel said. “Now we just have to go put it together.”