Despite having their 2023 season come to an end at the hands of rival Piedmont Academy, Gatewood’s Lady Gators softball team went into the offseason with plenty of hope for the future.
The 2024 team returns a strong core of players that head coach Dena Stancil believes the program can build around and ultimately will lead them to a solid season.
“My returning players are proving to me that they’ve matured into team leaders,” Stancil said. “I believe they really understand their role in setting an example in all aspects of the game.”
The Lady Gators’ top returning starters include Riley Roberts, Ellie McMillan, Lily Huskins, and Cora Tkacik. They will all be expected to step up as key role players and make an impact in a season with high hopes of winning the region title and making a deep playoff run.
“My goal for each year is to win our last game,” Stancil said. “I feel like these girls are more than capable of having a winning season this year.”
To put it all together, the Lady Gators need great production again from McMillan, their top offensive player last year, who batted .381 in 2023 with 16 hits, 12 RBIs, and 12 runs scored.
McMillan also led the team with three doubles and its second-most stolen bases at nine.
Roberts also can step up as an ace pitcher for the Lady Gators after a solid 2023 season. She finished 2023 with a 4.97 ERA in 11 appearances while accumulating 48 strikeouts, compared to just 28 walks. Roberts also allowed just 27 earned runs and zero home runs in 38 innings pitched last year.
Stancil said she believes the biggest hurdle for her team to clear in recent years is to “buy in” to their ability to compete.
“We’ve struggled in the past to play with the confidence of champions,” she said. “These girls have the talent. They will be hard to beat if they believe they can win.”
The Lady Gators opened their season on July 30 with a 5-2 loss to Trinity Christian of Dublin. That didn’t dampen the team’s spirit, however, as it bounced back in a come-from-behind 14-12 win over Windsor Academy in Macon.
The Lady Gators continued their season with a game in Eatonton on Tuesday (past press time) against Stratford Academy. On Thursday, they return to Macon for a 5 p.m. start against First Presbyterian Day School.
Next Tuesday they will host Bethlehem Christian Academy in a 4:30 p.m. start, followed by a road contest on Thursday at Edmund Burke Academy in Waynesboro.