MONTICELLO, Ga. — The Piedmont Academy Lady Cougars entered this year with the goal of winning the state title. Being at the top of the mountain is not foreign territory for the Lady Cougars, either, as they have captured the state championship in back-to-back seasons.
Fourth-year head coach Joe Johnson believes this team has what it takes to go all the way.
“I think this team is probably the most talented team we’ve had here,” Johnson said. “There really isn’t a weak spot. It’s just all got to click. It’s a special group and I really hope they can pull it off.”
Piedmont Academy is currently 16-2 overall with a 5-1 record in GIAA-2AA. On Sept. 27, it avenged its lone region loss versus Briarwood Academy with a 3-0 victory.
The Lady Cougars’ success has been a team effort.
At the plate, Emily Whitwell leads the way with a .467 batting average. Marissa Holder is second on the team at .392 along with Teagan Satterfield with a .389 batting average.
Jacie Jenkins’ .375 batting average features a team-high two home runs.
Eight total players are batting above .300.
Whitwell also leads the team with 25 stolen bases as well as with a 1.000 field percentage. She’s pitched 74.2 innings with a 1.03 ERA with 63 strikeouts compared to 15 walks, too.
Breck Piedra is second in stolen bases with 16 along with Abby Arnold who has 14.
Holder and Piedra join Whitwell as the three Lady Cougars who each have a 1.000 fielding percentage.
In their 16 wins this season, the Lady Cougars are beating opponents by an average 9-2 each contest.
Notable wins for Piedmont Academy include George Walton Academy, Social Circle and Newton High School.
With as many top performers on this year’s squad along with the results, Johnson’s hopes are through the roof for what they can accomplish.
“My expectations are pretty high,” Johnson said. “We have a good program with good players that come here to play ball.”
Even though 2022 has been nearly flawless for Piedmont Academy so far, there are still games left to be played before the regular season concludes.
On Oct. 6, the Lady Cougars will hit the road to face region opponent Edmund Burke Academy in Waynesboro followed by a home matchup against Brentwood Academy on Oct. 11.
Johnson highlighted how the team has reached a new level in recent weeks with playoffs on the horizon.
“We started out just so hot. It was like we couldn’t make a mistake,” Johnson said. “I feel like the last three weeks, we’ve really concentrated on hitting the ball better. That is one of our goals is to hit the ball better, see the ball better and put more balls in play needs to be our approach.”
