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The GHSA softball playoffs will get underway on Wednesday and all three public high schools in Troup County — Callaway, LaGrange and Troup —- will all have their eyes firmly planted on kicking off a deep playoff run this week. 

The softball playoffs have been completely reworked with no more super regional. The teams will instead play the best of three series in the first and second rounds before moving into the double elimination format when the final eight teams from each classification have punched their ticket to the state tournament in Columbus. 

Because Callaway plays in 2A and LaGrange and Troup in 3A, the teams will not encounter any private schools in the playoffs 

 

Callaway @ Pike County

In a strange twist of fate, the Cavaliers will end up playing their region rival Pike County. With the new playoff format seeding teams by overall standings rather than region standings, teams that are in the same region can now meet in the first three rounds of the playoffs, something they were unable to do previously. 

Callaway lost all three of its games against the Pirates this season, falling 9-1, 12-0 and 10-1. The Cavaliers are going to have to prove to be road warriors as this round and a potential second round matchup will both be on the road. The Cavaliers have struggled away from home this season, going 4-8.

Callaway will be relying on junior pitcher Mackenzie Toney, who will likely start game one in the circle and hit a home run against the Pirates in the final regular season matchup between the two teams. She has pitched 89 ⅓ innings this season, more than 60% of the workload in the circle. Toney got all three starts against the Pirates in the regular season. 

Bella Cleveland is the only other Cavalier who has pitched double-digit innings this season with just over 51 innings pitched. The sophomore will likely get the start in game two.

One of the reasons for the up-and-down season for the Cavaliers has been the health of two of their best players — Kinley Smith and Savannah Rice. The junior duo has combined to play in just 25 games so far this season. Rice played in the regular season finale, but Smith did not and her status for the playoffs remains uncertain. In 11 games this season, she hit .387 with 10 runs scored and six RBIs and was a reliable glove at second base.

Rice can play all over the field and has hit .343 with nine runs scored and six RBIs in 14 games.

The Cavaliers’ best player on offense this season has been a young rising star. Freshman Ella Kelly put together a tremendous start to her career with the Cavaliers, hitting .488 with a .527 on base percentage, which she leads the team in both categories. She also led the team in hits with 41, extra base hits (17) and RBIs (24). She has 11 more hits, nine more extra base hits and 12 more RBIs than the next highest Cavalier on the team. The freshman will likely be the team’s starting catcher for years to come. 

This will be the final run for seniors Karlie Walker, Madison Kemp and Kaitlyn Williams. All three put together strong final seasons with the Cavaliers. Kemp was second on the team in batting average (.400) and hits (30) while Williams and Walker finished third and fourth on the team in hits, respectively. Kemp also led the team with 30 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.

The teams will play a double header at Pike County starting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. If the teams split the games a third game will be played at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of this series will play Cook or Ringgold in the next round.

 

Mt. Zion, Jonesboro @ LaGrange

For the first time in four years, the Grangers will be hosting a game(s) in the state playoffs. The team is looking to make its first trip to the Elite Eight and the state tournament in Columbus since 2020.

LaGrange hit a bit of a bumpy patch heading into the state playoffs. The team lost three in a row and four of its last five games — all against quality opponents but that is now firmly in the rearview mirror. 

The two team’s share no common opponents this season, but Mt. Zion is currently in a region with two teams that were in LaGrange’s region the last two seasons — Riverdale and North Clayton. 

This is the final run for the team’s loading senior class that features 13 players — many who are regular contributors. 

Freshman Dakota McDaniel has been the team’s ace in the circle this season and will continue in that role into the postseason. She is complemented by two seniors, Kaylee Foster and Zoe Thompson. The latter will likely start in game one or two and the former will see time either in relief or starting at some point in the playoffs if the Grangers are to make a deep run.

Seniors can be found throughout the rest of the starting lineup. Addyson Arnett, Jasia Swanson and Hudson Wood, all seniors, will serve as the team’s starting outfield when McDaniel is pitching with the freshman kicking out the left field when someone else is in the circle. The team has a senior at catcher (Tatum Nation), a senior at first base (Carolyne Garcia – a Southern Union commit), a senior at second base (Tatiana Dudley) and a senior at shortstop (Abby McGill). To start the season, the entire infield were all seniors, but third baseman Kimberly Reynolds, a Murray State commit, underwent season-ending surgery earlier this season which allowed Shelby Siggers to claim the starting third base spot. 

Junior utility player Ta’Niya Taylor came on strong down the stretch of the season and will be a key part of the LaGrange lineup. 

LaGrange will host Mt. Zion, Jonesboro at 11 a.m. on Friday with the second game of the doubleheader following the first. A potential game three would be played on Saturday at noon in Granger Park. 

The Grangers will either host Howard or travel to North Hall in the second round of the state playoffs if they advance.

 

Troup @ Mary Persons

The Tigers will face a familiar foe when they head an hour and a half east on Friday. The two teams faced off twice in region play with the Bulldogs winning both encounters, 12-4 and 4-1. The last time the two teams faced each other was on Sept. 10. The Tigers lost that matchup, but left nine runners on base in the game with the majority of them in scoring position which let the team know they can go toe-to-toe with Matt Persons. That game came in the midst of a four-game losing streak for Troup where the Tigers were really struggling. That’s not the same Troup team that won five in a row to end its season.

The Tigers will be extremely light in the pitching department. Troup’s Kaylee Unfress will not pitch in the series due to an injury, leaving junior Kaitlyn Smalley and sophomore Kennedy McCoy as the only two healthy starters on the roster heading into the playoffs. Smalley pitched the most innings for Troup this season with 59 and should be in line to start game one.

McCoy battled through injuries earlier in the season to return late in the year. She pitched just 11 innings across five games and two starts, but will be relied on in some big moments in the upcoming series.

Smalley and McCoy are starters even when they are not in the circle so look for the former in the outfield and the latter at first or third base if they are not in the circle.

Smalley has been the team’s most productive offensive player this season. She led the team in batting average (.444) hits (28) and stolen bases (16) while scoring 22 runs and driving in 16. The junior will be pivotal at the plate and in the circle for Troup. 

Fellow junior Sheniyah Philpot has hit .407 with an on base percentage of .533 (both career highs and good enough for second best in the team among players with at least 10 at-bats) so far this season. The outfielder is a key leader on the team which is as important as her play on the field.

Sophomore infielder Olivia Damron has enjoyed a breakout campaign and is hitting .328 and was tied for the team lead with eight extra-base hits. Damron hit a walk-off in extra innings against Spalding in the penultimate game of the regular season which secured a playoff spot for the Tigers.

Junior Gracie Baker will get the start behind the plate for the Tigers where she is a reliable defensive presence. She also hit a career-high .286 in the regular season. Junior shortstop Zoe Graham led the team with 26 runs scored.

The team currently has no seniors on the roster and will return the entire team next season plus some additions from the middle school ranks, leaving the Tigers in a good position this year and beyond. 

Troup will take on Mary Persons on Friday at 1 p.m with the second game following the first. A potential game three would be played on Saturday at 10 a.m.