COVINGTON, Ga. -- A pair of softball standouts signed letters of intent to play softball in college this week. 

On last Wednesday, Alcovy senior, Corley Thacker inked a scholarship offer with Gordon State College in Barnesville, after completing a successful senior season where she helped the Lady Tigers more than double their 2017 win total, while coming within a game of qualifying for a state tournament berth. 

Thacker hit .448 for the season while driving in 10 RBI and knocking a home run. She also had a .935 fielding percentage with just two errors for the season. 

Meanwhile, Eastside senior Dani Fairey signed her LOI with Emmanuel College last Friday evening in a signing ceremony in the school’s media center. 

Fairey is a long-time commit to Emmanuel and helped the Lady Eagles to a Region 4-AAAA runner-up finish and the second round of the Class AAAA state tournament. Fairey, a first baseman, hit .285 with 15 RBI and a home run, while notching a .956 fielding percentage. She also spent time in the pitching circle, although junior Kailey Rusk was the main pitching workhorse. 

She called her signing a dream come true for her, noting that when Emmanuel College came into the picture, there was basically nothing left for her to consider regarding her recruitment.

"I, first of all, loved the coaches," she said. "They really sold it to me. They were the exact kind of coaches that I really wanted to play for in college. And I loved the small campus. I didn't want to get lost in a big school, and I just loved the atmosphere." 

Fairey gave her verbal pledge to Emmanuel almost a year ago to the date of her signing, and although there were a couple of other schools she was looking to early on such as Methodist and Young Harris, the search stopped after her verbal pledge. 

"When I committed to Emmanuel, I stopped looking," she said. "I was relieved because the recruiting process is so hard. I remember being so stressed out about it during my freshman and sophomore years, so since I found Emmanuel and committed, I've been coasting." 

Fairey said she'll likely major in business at the Franklin Springs, Georgia school. And though a versatile player during her time at Eastside, Fairey says she's excited about the fact that she'll be able to spend more time pitching. 

"I'm very excited about that," she said. 

Make sure to pick up a copy of our December 16 edition where we’ll publish our 2018 All-County softball team and player and pitcher of the year.