Seniors shine on senior night

On Sept. 11, the Cedar Shoals Lady Jags varsity softball team mercy-ruled the Discovery Titans 13-1 in four innings on senior night. Shortstop Amelia Hembree, center fielder Delia McElhannon and left fielder Ashley Nash walked down the field prior to the game alongside their loved ones. While only having three seniors, head coach Logan Garrett notices the positive impact they bring to the team. 

“The seniors have such a calm presence. They seem wise beyond their years, despite 2 of them having a relatively short softball career. They each are a piece of the backbone of the team, offering consistency and stability during their play,” Garrett said. 

Additionally, the younger players look up to the seniors to run the warmups, keep the team on track and make sure that the team doesn’t get too bogged down on an error. 

“It’s definitely hard to see the seniors go because I’ve played with them every year since I first joined the team in 8th grade,” sophomore utility player Caitlin Smith said. “They all bring so much energy to the team, I’ve learned so much just from watching them play, and the team definitely won’t be the same without them.”

The senior night occasion pushed the team to play the best they could to honor their teammates.  Freshman pitcher Gretta Garrett was a dual-threat on the night, striking out nine batters and delivering two hits and two runs. Hembree also had two hits and two runs of her own.

“We did a great job of expanding our strike zone and going for all the pitches that we could. That, paired with smart base running, were our biggest strengths,” McElhannon said. 

Although the Jags won convincingly, there are still things that they want to improve on moving forward. The team feels that they need to stay hopeful during the game even after mistakes are made. They also feel that one of the most important things as a team is reassuring and cheering each other on.

“I think one of the main things that we need to work on as a team is making sure that when we make small mistakes we don’t let that cause us to lose hope,” freshman right fielder SK Hodges said.

Despite the up-and-down games, one thing is always constant with the Lady Jags softball team: the team spirit. From the field to the dugout, the team is always cheering, making noise, and supporting the batters and runners. 

“The team spirit is phenomenal. We’ve taken to doing a lot more dugout cheers, which is a strategy for disrupting the other team and it really makes everyone seem like they are contributing all the time,” Garrett said. 

While the season is far from over, McElhannon is already rueing leaving behind her lifelong friendships and skills that she has learned in her five years of playing. 

“I’ll miss the opportunity to play the sport I love but also I’ll miss the people and environment I’ve been surrounded in,” McElhannon said. 

The Lady Jags’ next home game is Tuesday at 5:30 pm, against the Black Knights Central Gwinnett. Tickets are $5 on GoFan.