Terrell Academy tunes up for season with preseason scrimmage

DAWSON — The blazing South Georgia sun, full uniforms and fans lining the fences made it feel like opening day.

The only thing missing was a game that counted.

Terrell Academy took another step toward the start of the 2026 softball season Friday, hosting Tatnall Square Academy of Macon in a preseason scrimmage at its home field. While the outcome won’t appear in either team’s record book, the afternoon provided exactly what Lady Eagles coach Ashley Walker wanted — a chance to evaluate his team against quality competition before the regular season begins.

“I thought our pitchers did really well today,” Walker said. “I thought we did a good job of competing in the batter’s box. We worked a lot of counts and put some pressure on their pitchers to throw strikes.”

Terrell Academy consistently challenged Tatnall’s pitching staff throughout the afternoon, showing patience at the plate while producing several well-struck balls.

Walker believes the next step is capitalizing on those opportunities in key situations.

“We hit some balls hard,” he said. “We just have to do a little bit better job with our approach in different situations.”

Defensively, the Lady Eagles showed flashes of solid play but also experienced the type of lapses that are common during preseason competition. A handful of errors extended innings and created additional scoring chances for Tatnall Square.

Walker, however, viewed those mistakes as teachable moments rather than long-term concerns.

“Defensively, we had innings where we gave them extra outs because of errors,” he said. “Luckily, those errors were a result of our lack of focus, trying to do too much or simply slowing the game down.”

The veteran coach came away encouraged because the issues he identified are correctable before the regular season begins.

“The good thing about today was all of our mistakes are things that can be corrected at practice,” Walker said. “Overall, I am pleased with the way we competed.”

The timing of Friday’s scrimmage was especially valuable with the regular season just days away. Terrell Academy opens its 2026 campaign on Aug. 4 with a formidable road test at defending GIAA state champion Southwest Georgia Academy in Damascus, giving the Lady Eagles little time to dwell on mistakes and every reason to sharpen their focus.

If Friday’s preseason tune-up was any indication, Walker believes his team has a solid foundation. Now the challenge shifts from learning lessons in a scrimmage to putting them into practice when the games begin to count.