Oglethorpe County’s softball team is nearing its season opener on Aug. 1, with practice beginning this Monday.
While a beginning to mandatory practices marks the official start of the season, girls have been attending optional summer sessions since June.
“We’ve had a good turnout,” said coach Brianna Dickens, who is entering her sixth season at OCHS. “Every practice we’ve probably had at least 13 or 14 of the 17 total girls all summer long, which can be challenging.”
In addition to summer practices, the Patriots have played a slate of exhibition games against nearby competition, including Thomson, Madison County and Washington-Wilkes, who OCHS will play twice this season.
In 2023, OCHS suffered its first losing season in five years, going 2-20-1 in the regular season and losing both of its playoff games. Experience gained from a difficult season will play a pivotal role this fall.
“The good news is that we had one senior last year, so pretty much everybody is returning,” Dickens said. “Last year forced a lot of underclassmen to get varsity experience as freshmen and sophomores, so now moving into their sophomore and junior years, they’re able to grow off of that and get better.”
Junior Emilee Cutsail is expected to be a “concrete piece” in the lineup, said Dickens. Sophomore Emily Wisham has become a reliable offensive asset in exhibition games.
Returning starter Reese Campbell figures to be Oglethorpe County’s ace. Campbell, a junior who can also play infield, will be supported by fellow pitchers Carolyn Barner and Carlee Gibson, the only senior.
“We’ve just gotta keep practicing and working hard — we’ve been doing well,” Campbell said. “We need to practice and focus more (than last year).”
OCHS enters a fresh region (Region 8-A Division I) for the 2024-25 school year that doesn’t include any schools from last year’s alignment. It will play a 28-game regular season that begins with a home matchup against Lake Oconee Academy.
A total of 17 players within the program gives Dickens liberty to field a junior varsity team, however, a door to the varsity level remains permeable for younger talent.
“I’m one who believes that as the year goes on, as you perform, you can go up and you can go down,” Dickens said. “There’s always a level of competition being created.”