Northeast Georgia area regions will send a powerhouse group of teams to Columbus for the Georgia High School Association Elite 8 tournament, which begins Thursday at the Olympic Softball Complex.
Six teams -- Buford, East Hall, Jefferson, Lumpkin County, Banks County, Commerce -- will vie for state titles ranging from Class 5A to Class A Public.
For several teams, Columbus is no stranger. Buford has made 15 consecutive trips to Columbus, having won 10 straight state titles from 2007-16. Commerce and Lumpkin County have advanced to Columbus within the past five seasons. Last year Banks County in Class 2A and Jefferson in Class 3A finished as state runners-up.
East Hall, however, is making its first-ever trip to the Elite 8 after several near-misses over the past few seasons. First-year Lady Vikings coach Anuel Burce said it was almost a cathartic experience following their two-game sweep over Cook last week in the second round.
“It was a great experience and just felt great for us to get past that wall, so to speak,” Burce said. “A couple of times we thought we should have made it but didn’t. We’re excited about this opportunity.”
The Lady Vikings, ranked No. 3 after the regular season, will find out quickly if they are a player. They take on No. 2-ranked and 2018 state runner-up Jefferson in the opening round. However, East Hall knocked off the Lady Dragons 2-1 during the regular season.
“We know (Jefferson) so that helps a lot,” Burce said. “But Jefferson has been there before so they know the environment and how to handle things. We are going to have to try and control our emotions, especially in that first game.”
Burce said they will also have to balance soaking up the atmosphere of the Columbus tournament to bank for the future while at the same time playing for the moment.
“The girls are eager to get down there and start soaking in the experience of it all and seeing the energy,” Burce said. “But again, controlling our emotions will be key for us. We want to enjoy the environment but we’re also going down there expecting to win and make a run at (the title).”
Also in Class 3A, Lumpkin County will take on No. 1-ranked and defending state champion Franklin County in the opening round.
Region 8-2A champion Banks County has knocked on the door each of the last two seasons, finishing third in Class 2A in 2017 before last year’s second-place showing. The Lady Leopards come into the Elite 8 tournament ranked No. 1 this time, and have been most of the season.
But coach Kelby Cronic said none of that matters.
“This is a team that is so much more mature and experienced than the last couple of years,” Cronic said. “We have seven seniors and they’ve been down there the last couple of years and understand the routines and how Columbus works. The target on our back is the size of a school bus but the girls have handled that pressure all season.”
The Class 2A field is loaded with the top seven ranked teams all advancing. The Lady Leopards will take on No. 6 Bremen, a team they beat in the first round in 2018. Banks County has not yielded a run in the 2019 playoffs.
“It’s a tough field. There won’t be any easy games,” Cronic said. “But we’ve faced (Bremen) before so we’re familiar with them. The key will just be us sticking to our gameplan, which is strong pitching and scoring runs, whatever it takes.
“Our goal is certainly to try and win (the title). These girls have been close the last two years. We’ve been building this program. It doesn’t have to be this year but we would like it to be. These girls have worked hard and earned another chance at this.”
In Class 5A, the Lady Wolves are certainly no strangers to Columbus making their 15th consecutive trip to the Olympic Complex. But after an amazing 10-year run of state titles spanning four classifications, Buford has not left with a title trophy since 2016.
Longtime coach Tony Wolfe said this year’s run to Columbus has been one of his most satisfying.
“We had all our pitchers back but we only had two position players returning so there was a lot of work to do to get this team where we wanted to be,” Wolfe said. “We challenged them with a schedule where all 31 games we played were against teams that made the playoffs. I’ve been pleased with how this team has progressed during the season.”
Buford rolled to a Region 8-5A title and has only given up one run in the playoffs to this point. They open against Region 1-5A champ Harris County, which is averaging 12 runs a game and given up just three runs in the playoffs.
“It’s a very tough game right out of the chute,” Wolfe said. “We’re going to have to play our best. But I also feel we’ve probably played our best all year the last three weeks. The challenge is to keep the sharpness we’ve had.”
Buford is one of just three teams in Class 5A that managed to return from 2018’s Elite 8 tournament. Fellow Region 8-5A foe Walnut Grove is one and two-time defending state champion Locust Grove is the other. Walnut Grove and Locust Grove are both on the other side of the bracket from the Lady Wolves.
“It’s a tough field and I think Locust Grove is probably the team to beat again,” Wolfe said. “Winning that first game is the key. I like where we are if we can win that first one.”
GHSA softball playoffs, Elite 8
THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE (Oct. 24)
(Tournament is double-elimination; winners will play again on Thursday, losers will play on Friday)
Class 5A
Buford vs. Harris County, 4 p.m.
Class 3A
East Hall vs. Jefferson, 6 p.m.
Franklin County vs. Lumpkin County, 6 p.m.
Class 2A
Bremen vs. Banks County, 4 p.m.
Class A Public
Emmanuel County Institute vs. Commerce, 12 p.m.
