MONTICELLO, Ga. — As the regular season comes to a close this week, the Piedmont Academy Lady Cougars have their eyes on another state championship run. The Lady Cougars are the reigning back-to-back Georgia Independent Athletics Association state champions and have a goal of making it three straight.
Piedmont Academy’s senior group of Emily McEwen, Abby Arnold and Jacie Jenkins are confident that this year’s team can make another postseason pursuit.
When asked about going for the three-peat, Jenkins displayed zero hesitation in her response.
“We’re winning,” Jenkins said with a big smile on her face.
Her senior counterparts were just as confident.
“This is by far the best team that Piedmont has ever had,” McEwen said. “As our coach told us at the beginning of the year, ‘I’m struggling to find who the best nine are.’ There are no weak spots.”
Each of the seniors have played a pivotal role in this season’s success.
Jenkins leads the group with a .375 batting average and a team-high two homers. McEwen bats at .340 with seven RBIs and one home run. Arnold, meanwhile, is batting .298 and nine RBIs. When Arnold gets on base, she causes even more havoc for opposing defenses by stealing 15 bases.
Relying on the stat line to grasp how good they feel about this year’s team has never crossed the seniors’ minds. In fact, Arnold credits the players’ “high energy” as a catalyst for the season’s success.
“We work so well together on the field and our girls in the dugout are always so loud and we get in the dugout with them. And it’s just like, ‘You better sit 10 feet away, because we’re going to bust your eardrums,’” Arnold said. “We play better when we’re having fun.”
Having been a part of the past two state title runs has been special for the seniors. They look back on the two trophies with fond memories.
Nevertheless, winning a state championship in their final year at Piedmont would be a “dream.”
“In Piedmont history, the most rings somebody has won for softball is three,” McEwen said. “And I want to be up there with them, too, and have three.”
Jenkins is a transfer with this being her first year as part of Piedmont Academy’s team. She stressed how she’s never been to the state tournament in her career.
That has made Jenkins more eager to go capture the title before she graduates.
“Doing that my senior year would be amazing,” Jenkins said. “I want to win it so badly.”
The postseason begins soon for the Lady Cougars with their final regular season matchup being Oct. 11 versus Brentwood Academy. But, according to Arnold, the team is eager to get the postseason underway.
“We just have to show up and play our game,” Arnold said. “We know what we can do and we’re ready.”
