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CHS softball seniors
CHRISTIAN MORRIS
By Kevin Eckleberry
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It’s amazing. I couldn’t be happier.”
Christian Morris knew his future wasn’t on the field, rather it was on the sidelines, and he embraced that.
Morris became an invaluable member of the Troup High football team not as a player, but as an equipment manager, a role he held from his sophomore to senior year.
As his time in high school was ending, Morris realized he wanted to keep doing something that brought him so much fulfillment, so he explored the possibility of being an equipment manager in college.
Reinhardt University, which is located about an hour north of Atlanta in Waleska, gave Morris an opportunity to achieve his goal.
Morris received a scholarship offer from Reinhardt to be an equipment manager on the football team, and he happily accepted, and he has been with the team throughout the season.
One of Morris’ number one supporters is Troup High head football coach Tanner Glisson, who was thrilled to see things come together.
“We talk about it all the time that there’s a place for every single person in our program here at Troup,” Glisson said. “Now, you put your money where your mouth is, and it shows what the really looks like. It looks like Christian Morris.” Morris, in turn, appreciates the support he received from Glisson and everyone at the school who helped him make a dream become reality.
“His support meant the most,” Morris said of Glisson. “He’s treated me just like one of his top recruits. That’s what I’m going to miss most about Troup, everybody is so welcoming and supportive. They were always high-fiving me, treating me with respect. It’s amazing. I couldn’t be happier.”
Morris joined the Troup football team as a freshman, and by his sophomore year, he was the equipment manager, a role he held until he graduated.
While he never put on shoulder pads, there was never any question that Morris was a member of the team.
Royce White, a former all-state offensive lineman at Troup who is now a freshman at Memphis, saw how much effort Morris put into his job.
“He’s really worked hard,” White said. “At every single practice, he’s working just as hard as us, just in a different way. I never see him just being lazy. He’s always busy and working hard.”
Morris was given a lot of responsibility by Glisson, and he’s grateful for that.
“I’ve been blessed,” Morris said. “Ever since I took over my sophomore year, he’s let me have whatever guys I want. He’s given me free rein to handle my staff. It’s been amazing to have that freedom.”
For Morris, the idea of becoming an equipment manager in college really began to blossom during a trip to Georgia Tech in March of 2019.
Morris and some other members of the support staff at Troup went to Georgia Tech and were given a tour while spending time with people with similar responsibilities on the college level.
“I got a chance to tour, and just see how they do things, and I thought, is there a realistic chance I can do this in college,” Morris said.
From there, Morris began exploring his options, and it was Reinhardt who came through with an offer.
Reinhardt, Glisson noted, “is getting a good one. I called and talked to their coaches and say hey, I highly recommend this guy, and they said we’re going to offer him. That’s just great.”
Photo: Kevin Eckleberry
KAYLA LANE
By Kevin Eckleberry
When it came time to choose a college home, Kayla Lane had plenty of options close to home, but she decided to go another route.
Lane, who enjoyed an exceptional softball career at Troup High, signed with the University of Pittsburgh, and in the fall of 2019 she packed her bags and headed north.
Lane made her collegiate debut in the spring of 2020, and she was playing well when the season was cut short because of COVID-19.
Lane and her teammates returned to the field this spring for a full season, and Lane played in 40 games with 39 starts, and she hit .219 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and 17 runs scored.
Although Pittsburgh is a long way from LaGrange, Lane has settled in nicely at Pittsburgh and is thrilled with her decision.
A highlight of the season came when Lane, playing a game in her home state at Georgia Tech, had two hits including a home run in the series finale.
It was a special moment for Lane, who had big cheering section for that weekend series.
For Lane, part of the appeal of going to Pittsburgh was the chance to play college softball at the highest level.
The ACC features some of the top teams in the country, including Florida State, which played for the national championship this season. She wanted to be there for her teammates.
As Heard County’s Sydney Goddard prepared for her senior season, she knew she wasn’t going to be close to 100 percent physically, but she was committed to being on the field.
Goddard, who lived in LaGrange while attending Heard County, gutted it out during the 2020 softball season and made it the whole way, despite fighting through a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.
While unable to play defensively, Goddard was still a key contributor offensively, and she hit better than .400 for a team that won the 2020 Class AA state championship.
When the season was over Goddard had shoulder surgery, and now she’s in the early stages of the next step in her athletic career as a member of the Reinhardt University softball team.
While the injury may have limited Goddard during her senior season, she’s glad she made the decision to postpone the surgery and be on the field for a championship team.
“I had shoulder surgery, so I wasn’t able to play my senior season that I was hoping too, but I would not change that for the world, because I got to be that (good) teammate, and I was able to support the girls,” Goddard said. “Softball isn’t just about playing, it’s about the character that you develop through adversity. I’m so grateful that I’m able to have this opportunity to go and extend my career.”
Goddard was a late arrival to the sport.
She’d never played softball before high school, and when she tried it as a freshman, she didn’t make the team.
“Most girls, they grow up playing the sport,” Goddard said. “I didn’t even find out what softball was until my freshman year. For me to start that late, there was a really big learning curve.” After failing to make the squad, Goddard took that as a challenge to work even harder at her new-found sport.
Lane got her first college atbat in the eighth game of her freshman season, and it was a moment she’d been waiting on for a long time.
Lane and her teammates played a handful of exhibition games this fall, and they’ll return in February for the start of the spring season.
Last season, Pittsburgh was 17-29 overall, and 12-24 in the ACC.
SYDNEY GODDARD
By Kevin Eckleberry
Photo: Kevin Eckleberry
Goddard said. “I took it as a challenge, and I went to work and got better every year and made the team my sophomore year, leading all the way up to my senior year and we won the state championship.”
While Goddard played highschool softball at Heard County, she’s familiar with many of the players in LaGrange, and she played with a handful of them in travel softball.
Among Goddard’s travel-ball teammates were LaGrange High’s Camden Smith, Malone Aldridge, Madison Dennis and Holly Lynn, all of whom are or will play college softball. “I play travel ball with Camden, Holly, Malone, Madison, so I know all of them,” Goddard said. “They’ve been a huge part of me and my success. I got to play summer ball with them, and they helped me be a better player.”
As for her time at Heard County, Goddard is grateful for the way she was welcomed. “Being from out of town, it’s hard to come in as an outsider but they accepted me with arm’s open, and just treated me like family,” Goddard said.
