Worth County softball seniors looking for strong finish

For six Worth County seniors, Thursday will mark the third time they will be playing softball on the final weekend of October in Columbus.

Making the GHSA Elite Eight is a sign of success for a high school softball team. Each classification uses an eight-team, double-elimination tournament to determine its champion, and this will be the third year that Worth County has taken part.

Just taking part, however, isn’t the only thing Worth County wants to accomplish.

This senior class is looking for its first victory in the Elite Eight after two 0-2 appearances. With a 27-1 record coming in, however, the team believes it has some momentum going for itself.

“We feel very confident,” Worth County head coach Kaleb Hathcock said. “We’re playing well at the plate, in the field and pitching very well. The girls feel like it’s their turn.”

Worth County, second behind Calhoun in the final Score Atlanta Class 3A rankings, opens play at 5 p.m. on Thursday against Sonoraville. That game is paired with the Pike County-Jackson County contest, with the winners meeting at 9 p.m. Thursday and the losers taking the field at noon on Friday in an elimination contest.

Winning the opener makes life a little easier in the Class 3A bracket. Barring weather delays, a win in the first round means that a team will play no more than two elimination bracket games Friday, while a first-round loss creates the potential for three must-win games Friday.

The initial matchups will be interesting. Sonoraville, ranked eighth, came out of its region as a No. 4 seed after entering its region tournament in the No. 2 slot. Jackson County is ranked fourth, while unranked Pike County beat Worth County 10-1 in last year’s opening round.

One thing boosting Worth County’s hopes: pitching. Caroline Newton and Taylor Layfield have combined for 307 strikeouts and a 0.56 ERA. They have walked just 33 batters.

“The girls have been very determined to get back,” Hathcock said. “We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the state, and with the way our pitchers have pitched, they rightfully should feel that way.”

Worth County has a .369 team batting average, with six regular starters averaging .300 or better. Newton is averaging .582 with seven home runs and 46 RBI, while Brinsley Graddy is batting .482 with six homers and 43 RBI.

In the field, Worth County has just 16 errors on a .969 fielding percentage, with no players with more than four errors all season.

Also in the Class 3A field: Calhoun, No. 5 Bremen, unranked Cook and unranked Rutland. The tournament concludes Saturday.