The Grovetown softball team lost its final regular season game 9-1 to Region 2-AAAAAA’s top team South Effingham last Tuesday, and despite amassing a school record 24 wins, the Warriors finished the regular season third in their region.
Don’t feel bad for them, though. Grovetown softball coach Kyle Cartledge is just fine with where his Warriors are as Wednesday’s Super Regional game with Woodward Academy (17-9) at Marist High in Metro Atlanta looms.
“Playing in such a tough region is so beneficial to us on both sides of the ball,” Cartledge said. “Our pitchers get to face good hitters and our hitters regularly face good pitching. We could go play in a weaker region, win that region, host in the playoffs but then get your teeth knocked in because you haven’t been prepared for the postseason with your regular season.
“But when you play these teams, like the two from Effingham County that are perennially in the Elite Eight, and you’re able to see that level of play each week, you really do become so much more prepared for the postseason.”
When Grovetown defeated Alcovy 4-3 in a non-region contest on Oct. 3, it set a new school record for wins in a season, eclipsing the 23 games won by the 2021 squad.
Here’s the kicker, though: That 2021 team needed all of its postseason in order to set that record. This year’s Warriors bunch didn’t. And that’s just one small sign to Cartledge — now in his second year as coach — that this program is trending in the right direction at the right time.
“I just think that the three most important parts of the game, hitting, pitching and defense, all three have been so good for us this year,” Cartledge said.
The work of Grovetown’s three main pitchers has been particularly impressive, given the circumstances. Senior Lily Miller, the Warriors’ ace pitcher, has missed much of the season with a back injury. That means sophomore Josalyn Sergent and junior Maddy Hart have had to step up in Miller’s absence.
Combined, they’ve posted a 9-0 record. Hart boasts a 1.28 ERA while Sergent’s 2.47 ERA is anything but shabby. Sergent’s 70 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched leads the team. Hart has recorded 44 strikeouts in 71.1 innings.
In short, they’ve more than answered the call to be dominant in the absence of their senior leader.
“When it comes to our pitchers, I often say that we don’t have a 1-2-3. We have three number ones,” he said. “Josalyn and Maddy could be number one pitchers for pretty much anyone else in the state. So it didn’t surprise me, knowing competitive they are and how hard they work on their craft, that they were able to perform as they have.”
Some of Grovetown’s most important performances have come — win or lose — against Effingham County and South Effingham — the only two teams ahead of Grovetown in the final region standings. The Warriors have gone 2-4 combined against both teams. They’ve won and lost in pitchers duels and in games where the bats were hot.
And outside of a 4-0 loss to Franklin County during the second game of the season, the Effingham County schools are the only teams on Grovetown’s schedule that have handed the Warriors losses.
The rigor of those battles, plus the experience of this year’s squad has Cartledge feeling good about where his team is for the postseason.
“I think they’re very ready,” he said. “One thing working in our favor is that we were very young last year, but we played in a super regional last year as a 3-seed, and made it to the championship game last year and lost. Our girls who got a taste of that format last year are going into it again, so they know what to expect and they’ll know how to handle it.”
The effort from Cartledge’s team has been so well-rounded that it’s been hard for him to single out players who have had particularly solid impact. He lauded the play of sophomore catcher Iman Wright who’s play behind the plate has dissuaded teams from base stealing.
“She definitely neutralizes the running game,” he said. “Teams aren’t going to try and run on us very often.”
And, of course, he mentions the fact that Miller is committed to play college softball at Columbus State. She’ll be back for the Warriors’ postseason run.
“One thing we pride ourselves on in our program is having high expectations,” he said. “We expect a lot from them anyway, so it’s kind of hard to single anyone out because when they step up, no matter the situation, it’s just kind of what we expect them to do. Our defense has been solid. Even our hitters, one through nine, we’ve just been really great all around, and I’m really proud of the way they’ve played.”
