CHULA — Tiftarea Academy has come a long way in a short time on the softball diamond.
Head coach Chance Benson’s club, currently playing without a single senior on the roster, got off to a tough start in 2024, 1-6, but have been red hot in the weeks after, 5-2 since the calendar changed to September.
Now, they’re in contention to win the District 3-3A championship.
“We’re playing very well,” said Benson. He credits an extremely tough non-district slate of games for preparing them. Among their opponents were Southwest Georgia Academy, Fullington Academy and Stratford Academy. “We’re seeming to hit our stride in region play.”
Though Tiftarea fell at Brookwood Tuesday, they possess a 4-1 mark in 3-3A. There is still a game to go against Brookwood, plus they can get ahead if Brookwood slips. The Lady Warriors are also 4-1.
Benson said last week’s game against Terrell Academy was a huge one. Had they fallen to Terrell, the Lady Eagles had the tiebreaker. Instead, Tiftarea came home with a 6-0 victory.
One way the Lady Panthers are hot is because of production up and down the lineup. While the big bats have carried them in 2024, Benson said everyone is finding ways to help. Small ball carried them against Terrell, bunting and stealing bases.
“They did everything we asked them to do and made all the routine plays,” he said.
One of the biggest performances was a few days before Terrell, when Coley Beth Croft exploded against Deerfield-Windsor for seven runs batted in. “She’s tearing the cover off the ball,” Benson said. Croft has become a top-notch backstop as well.
Summer Gray has joined Raelyn Owens and Olivia Monfort in the circle for a pitching staff hard to beat. Gray has also established herself as leadoff hitter.
Owens, who joined the lineup as an eighth grader, has gotten even stronger this season. Both she and Calla Joyner had two hits against Brookwood Tuesday.
The Lady Panthers caught a break in another way. A scheduling quirk meant they had no games during the brunt of Tift County’s cleanup efforts. Nothing had to be postponed.
Besides the second Brookwood contest, remaining on the District 3-3A schedule are Valwood and Deerfield-Windsor. Valwood gave Tiftarea a tough time the first game before falling, 9-8. The Lady Panthers thumped Deerfield, 15-6, in the first go-round.