HEARD SOFTBALL SENIORS
It has been extremely fun.”
By Kevin Eckleberry
What a run it has been for a gifted, committed, and close-knit group of seniors. Heard County’s softball team has had an extraordinary four-year run, and the seven seniors from this year’s team have helped provide the foundation for that success.
each other. Every single one of us. It’s so fun to play with them. And the maturity level has risen since our freshman year.”
That group includes third baseman Janiyah Strong, who is re-writing the record books at Heard County and has passed some impressive names to be the program’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs.
“We’re all super close. I love every single one of them,” White said after Heard County’s final home game, a 9-1 victory over Pepperell in the decisive game three of their playoff series. “It’s really sad. Today, we kept talking about, this is our last game on this field. It gives me chill bumps just talking about it. I love all the girls. We’re really close, and I’m really going to miss it.”
Another senior is catcher Mackenzie White, who has committed to Ole Miss and will make it official when she signs her letter of intent later this year. Shortstop Emma Helton, second baseman Zekylah Boyd and first baseman Abigail Lathrop have anchored the infield for years, and outfielder Courtney Cannon and pitcher Brianna Hill round out an impressive senior class. “It has been extremely fun,” Strong said of the time she’s spent with her fellow seniors. “Me, Mac, Emma and Abigail have been at Heard County since eighth grade. We came up together. We added (Boyd) our sophomore year, and that added to the group. We love
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The seniors have known nothing but success since they joined the program, highlighted by back-to-back state championships.
Helton, who has started at shortstop since she was a freshman, said “I love high-school ball. It’s been great to have our infield pretty much all four years. We always know what each other is going to do. We know how to pick each other up.” While all the seniors have accomplished a great deal during their time at Heard, it’s Strong who is putting herself at the top of some impressive lists. Strong is the program’s all-time lead in home runs and RBIs, and she enjoyed a remarkable senior season that included a performance against
Pepperell when she hit a home run in all three games. “She’s passing some of the players that you never thought would be passed,” said Heard County head coach Matt Hornsby. “Not only is she passing them, she’s blowing by them. The progression that she’s made as a hitter over the past three years has been fun to watch. She’s always had the talent, it was would she ever been able to polish her swing up enough to lay off certain pitches, to stay balanced a little more. To see that she’s done that has been awesome to see.” Strong appreciates the support her teammates have given her over the years. “They cheer me on through the good and bad, and I love them for it every day,” Strong said. White, who plays the challenging catcher position, is on those all-time lists as well, and she’s second in home runs and third in RBIs. White, who is also an exceptional defensive player with a cannon for an arm, will continue her playing career at Ole Miss. “It felt just like home,” White said. “I go there, and their campus is beautiful. Everyone I talked to is super nice. We went on a bus tour, and everyone was waving to us on the sidewalk.
Photo :Kevin Eckleberry
And academically, they have exactly what I want to do for school. So, I’m super-excited.” Helton is another senior who has put together an impressive high-school resume, and she makes things happen from the top of the order. “She is one of those players that can do it all,” Hornsby said. “She’s got speed, defense, she hit a home run at Bremen, and she can lay down a bunt at any time. This whole senior group, it’s awesome to be a part of.” Boyd, an exceptional defensive player at second base, has accomplished plenty as well, and she had an RBI triple that helped turn things in Heard County’s favor in game three against Pepperell. Lathrop is ultra-dependable at first base and is the number three hitter in the lineup, and Cannon is part of an athletic outfield that seemingly chases down every ball that’s hit in the air. Cannon, in her final at-bat at home, hit a walk-off, three-run home run against Pepperell in the series clincher.
“She totally deserved that. It was just amazing. I’m so proud of her.” Hill has also been a key player this season as a pitcher who helped fill the void while sophomore Lilly Rae Fulford was out of action with an injury. While the seniors were no doubt an extremely valuable part of the team and will be missed, Heard County has some gifted underclassmen, including Aubree Ussery, Hannah Wright and Taylor Bailey, who are part of the ever-day lineup. Fulford, meanwhile, has been the team’s number one pitcher since she arrived on the stage as a freshman in 2020. With Fulford and the other underclassmen returning, and with some talented middle-school players on the way, Heard County should be poised to keep the good times rolling next year. OF NOTE: For much more on Heard County’s repeat state championship, see the next edition of Sideline Pass
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