LAGRANGE ACADEMY SOFTBALL SENIORS
We knew they were a good team, but we were prepared for it, especially going for a championship.”
By Kevin Eckleberry
When the time comes for Kelsey Cotton and Mackenzie Jones to walk across the stage and receive their high-school diplomas, they will have help create some impressive additions to the school’s trophy case.
but it’s also scary in a way, but it’s fun to show them our style, and how we operate.”
Cotton and Jones have both enjoyed phenomenal athletic careers at LaGrange Academy, and they recently completed their senior seasons on the softball team.
LaGrange Academy beat rival Flint River Academy after staging a dramatic rally in the seventh and final inning of the second and deciding game.
While the Lady Warriors came up short in the semifinals of the GISA state tournament, they won the state championship in 2019 and 2020, with Cotton and Jones playing key roles.
That championship was special not only because it was their first, but because it was won on their home field.
Jones and Cotton were also a part of the girls’ basketball team that won a state championship in February.
While that series was more than two years ago, the memories are still easy for Jones to recall.
In softball, LaGrange Academy had plenty of inexperience last season, and it helped to have two seniors who have seen it all leading the way.
“We talk about it, you remember that play at second base, in this inning, or when this person said this,” Jones said. “We remember everything about it. It was a crazy experience.”
The first state championship the two won together was in 2019. Photo: Kevin Eckleberry
“We have that winning mentality, having won in softball and basketball,” Cotton said. Jones, as one of the team’s veterans, knew how important her role on the team was. “We have a lot of new girls that we’ve had to introduce, and help,” Jones said. “I feel like they definitely look up to us. That’s kind of a cool feeling,
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“It gives me chills just thinking about it,” Cotton said.
“We knew they were a good team, but we were prepared for it, especially going for a championship,” Cotton said. The two seniors were hoping to help lead the softball team to a three-peat, but it wasn’t meant to be, with LaGrange Academy falling to Fullington Academy in the semifinals of the state playoffs. The season served as a learning experience for a group of players who will try to lead the Lady Warriors to a state title next fall. “We’re trying to hold them up to the same standard,” said head coach Charles Parker. “We’ve got some young girls, and they’re learning. They’ve got to learn, sometimes the hard way, but it makes you humble.”
LaGrange Academy repeated as state champion in 2020 when it beat Thomas Jefferson Academy in a hardfought series that went the full three games.
While Cotton and Jones are done playing softball at LaGrange Academy, they’re in the midst of their senior seasons in basketball, and they’re on a team that should have an outstanding chance of making it back-to-back state titles.
A few months later, Jones and Cotton helped LaGrange Academy win a state championship in basketball with a victory over Thomas Jefferson Academy.
“We just have to stay humble, and play to our potential,” Jones said. “It’s brought us this far.”
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