In the history of its program, Grovetown softball has accomplished many things, but it has yet to take home a region championship, and that’s what the Warriors strive to do this season, and more.
The Warriors are off to a 19-1 start (11-0 in Region 4-AAAAAA) after Tuesday night’s 15-2 win over Region 4-AAAAAA foe Heritage-Conyers. They sit in first place over Archer (15-2, 9-1), whom they defeated in extra innings 6-5 on August 21. The two teams will face off twice more this season, but if Grovetown wins this Thursday, September 12, and handles the rest of its business, they will achieve their first goal.
Head coach Kyle Cartledge knows the task at hand to do so and thinks his team is up for the challenge.
“If we win on Thursday, that’s a big step towards winning the region,” Cartledge said. “I think that’s cool to have the chance to do that. This way we will have a chance to host two rounds in the playoffs if we win. I just told the girls postgame, the first time we hop on a bus for the playoffs, I want it to be headed to Columbus, G.A., for the Elite Eight.”
Taking the next step
Grovetown is no stranger to the Elite Eight and Columbus, as it got to make the trip last year, but the Warriors were put out in two games by the defending and eventual champions, Newnan and Pope.
Now, this year’s Warriors squad has been battle tested and their nationally ranked – No. 34 in the country according to MaxPreps. But such accolades aren’t among Grovetown’s biggest aspirations.
“Our biggest goal is to make it to Columbus and compete for a state title,” Cartledge said. “We got a taste of what it was like. We ran into a buzzsaw. We want to get back and do that every year.”
The Warriors this year are better already than they were last year at the plate, as they have scored 247 runs in 20 games — that’s 12.3 runs per game. Stathead or not, that’s one of the best numbers you’ll see in the sport.
All but one starter has a batting average, and hers sits at a .296 clip, so they are going to score runs, and they’ve done that in every way, but most notably, by the long ball.
Pitching and plate prowess
Maddy Harl has seven homers in her senior season to lead the team, which, including her home runs, have totaled 18 on the year.
“One of my favorite things to say is that hitting is the best part of the game,” said Cartledge. “So every time you step into the box, you need to try to hit the ball hard and have some fun.”
What makes their recipe for winning so good is their pitching on top of the hitting. The pitching staff has only allowed 42 runs so far, and nine of those came in their game one loss to Greenbrier.
This means Grovetown has only allowed 33 runs in its last 19 games — an insane stat. The Warriors are led in the pitcher’s circle by Josalyn Sergent, Maddy Harl, and Adalyn McCully.
Harl is also getting it done in the pitching circle. She’s got a 7-1 record in 11 appearances with a 2.33 ERA while tossing a team-high 61 strikeouts.
This is a program that is on the rise, and its success started the day coach Cartledge became the head of it back in 2022. He won’t give himself credit for it, but the numbers — Grovetown is 63-21-1 during that time — back that claim up.
“It speaks volumes to our girls,” he said. “I’m not going to take a whole lot of credit for it. We have the girls that come in every day and work hard; we definitely push them to, but they want to because they want it. They’ve come to expect to win. When we take the field, we know we’re going to win, and that’s happened for the most part this year.”
The Warriors have become not only one of the best teams in Georgia, but also the nation. They are a testament to hard work paying off, and Cartledge is excited about the ranking and fired up for his team.
“I think it’s really good. I’m excited for these girls to get the recognition they deserve because they’ve worked really hard.”
