The season for the North Augusta Softball Team was cut extremely short last year once the scare of coronavirus began. With only playing two regular season games, the season came to an end before ever really getting started. Coach Gilstrap says he believed last year's team had a great opportunity to win the state championship, and many of the players on the team had that same belief.
When the North Augusta softball team found out about the season being cancelled, we were on the way to the Byrnes tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This is the team’s favorite tournament of the season because it would involve an overnight stay at a hotel with the entire team, providing a great night to hang out and grow closer as a team. The seniors took the news the hardest, as it was their last year being at North Augusta playing high school softball, and now that would be taken away from them. The seniors would have no senior night to celebrate all their years of playing softball, and this was devastating news for them.
Coach Gilstrap believes the decision to completely cancel the season was made to soon before everyone understood what would happen with Covid-19. He said, “after hearing more information about the virus, and softball being an outside sport, I think there were ways we could have finished the season as safely as possible.” The softball team last year started off the season very well. Although only playing two games, the scrimmages the team played also went well for them. The first two games of the season were victories, and three players already had homeruns for the season. After the first two games, the softball team was extremely excited for the season ahead and were expected to go a long way in the postseason, with a very high chance at taking home the first ever state championship for the softball team in school history.
Many players on the team can recall the bus ride when they found out the devastating news of the season being canceled. They say that just about everyone on the bus was crying, and that it was a very emotional time for everyone. Some players stated that they had spent their whole lives playing softball, and now what they saw as their best opportunity to win state competition was taken away from them.
After speaking with most of the girls from the softball team, along with Coach Gilstrap, everyone is extremely excited for the upcoming season of North Augusta High School softball. They cannot wait for practices to start back, and even more games to start again. Everyone on the softball team says they believe this year's chance at winning state competition is just as high as last year. They hope to have the community’s support behind them, and more people at the games this year than ever before. GO JACKETS!
Photograph: The Spring of 2020 Softball Season
Pictured:
First Row- Jasmine Shults, Haidyn Hutto, Abby Gilstrap, Emma Shiver, Haleigh Feagin, Annabel Hurst, Elizabeth Levins
Second Row- Shekinah Stokes, Roo Howell, Ashley Herrington, Nevaeh Ross, Katelyn Cochran, Chloe Shults, Kadence Adams, Madi Usry
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