Lady Cougars Cap Impressive Season with Championship

Athletic teams which win championships simply run out of teams to defeat.

Such was the case for the Piedmont Academy fast-pitch softball team this past Saturday in Macon.

Coach Colt Spivey and his Lady Cougars capped a stellar 2017 campaign by sweeping Briarwood Academy in a best-of-three series for the GISA Class AA state championship. The wins culminated a 19-1 season for Piedmont, which earned its first softball state championship in school history.

The season began back during the summer for the Lady Cougars with preseason practice. The first game on August 5 turned out to be the team’s only loss in 2017. With several team members missing the game, Piedmont fell to Macon FCA 8-3. Technically that was a preseason game but Spivey counted it in the standings.

From that point on it was nothing but wins for the Lady Cougars.

The team easily won its region title and once the state playoffs began Piedmont posted a perfect 6-0 record on its way to claiming the championship trophy.

Like any championship team, the 2017 Lady Cougars had many standouts and many who played key roles. From the pitching excellence of Neely Bradford and Maddie Morton to the offensive firepower and defensive contributions of players such as right fielder Alexis Dodson, short stop Ava Anglin, left fielder Cassidy Cook, center fielder Hailey Hooper, outfielder Deacon Robinson, second baseman Jayden Young, second baseman Haley Ann Frank, first baseman Lucy Tuggle, catcher Madison Johnson, outfielder-catcher Mattie Johnston, outfielder Taylor Smith and pitcher-third baseman Fleming Sealy. Piedmont simply had no equal in Class AA this season on the softball field.

Dodson was the team’s lone senior on the 2017 varsity roster.

It was also a memorable season for Spivey, who was in his first season as the program’s head coach after several years as an assistant. Spivey’s steady, guiding hand of leadership also played a key role for the Lady Cougars during their march to the state championship.

Winning a state title in any sport is never an easy task. Many quality teams fall short of that goal. However, as the season progressed it became clear that the Lady Cougars were not going to be denied. They were simply too determined, too focused, too good for their opponents.

After the final out was recorded Saturday at Mercer University, the celebration was one that was years in the making. From humble beginnings as a fast-pitch program to the state championship, Piedmont Academy had advanced a long way.

Credit goes to the players, coaches and parents who have worked countless hours to make it happen.

With such a young team in 2017, one can’t help but wonder what 2018 may hold in store for the Lady Cougars. At this early juncture, the team is clearly the favorite to repeat as champion again.

For now though it’s best to enjoy what this team has accomplished this season. That should be the focus for a little while longer at least. These players deserve it. It’s been a journey and they deserve to bask in their state championship spotlight.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.