The 2026 Georgia high school softball season officially began on August 1 and will culminate with the playoffs running from October 28-31 at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Ga.

Line Drive Media contributor Steve Hickey tracks the prep fastpitch journey in the Peach State for the seven public divisions (1A through 7A) and the one private division.

This is Week 5 of what will be a baker’s dozen of articles throughout the season to provide highlights and spotlights for journey in Georgia to crown its champions.

• Click HERE for Week 1’s report
• Click HERE for Week 2’s report
• Click HERE for Week 3’s report
• Click HERE for Week 4’s report

 

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The Days of Future Past

And so it has begun. 

The September 1^st recruiting window opened a week ago for the class of 2028 players, and life continues on. Let’s just play ball, and the rest will take care of itself. 

There was a bright spot in this year’s timing: since it shifted to 2 p.m. EST instead of midnight the night before, we were not subjected to the Ivy League schools letting everyone know that their student prospects needed their rest to perform academically and that they would not be contacting players that night. 

This week we met with Ernie Yarbrough, longtime Executive Director of Georgia High School Association (GHSA) softball, and Merii Sherman, current GHSA Executive Director for softball and soccer.

Have you ever wondered how something gets made? Who first came along, thought of this idea, and gathered all the necessary ingredients to make it work? Just as importantly, how have they been successful long enough to keep it going? 

To answer these questions, there is no one better than Ernie.

He is a true believer: he has played, coached, and now directed the sport for over 35 years. He is a passionate advocate for the sport and all the opportunities it brings. While he was playing, it took him all over the world, and now he sees the same possibilities for these young women.

He is especially optimistic at this time, as several professional softball leagues are showing the way for this next generation of players.

Georgia prep fast-pitch softball was born in 1996, with Dunwoody High School winning the first all-classification championship. With fast pitch’s deep roots in Southern California and on the West Coast, the Southeast was busy playing slow pitch with four outfielders.

Things have changed: now there are eight classifications, all taking their Elite Eight teams to the former Olympic facilities at South Commons in Columbus.

Here’s our Q&A with this impactful duo who’s done so much for softball in the Peach State…

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Line Drive Media: How long have you been involved in GHSA softball? 

Ernie Yarbrough; I relocated to Georgia in 1996 and started coaching at Heritage in Conyers. We won two state championships in those early years, and those are some of my favorite memories at South Commons. I

 was offered a role at GHSA in 2001 and helped run the state tournament all the way through 2024, when I stepped away. In those early years, slow pitch was the bigger sport. It had a fall schedule as well, and its end-of-season championship ran parallel to fast pitch in Columbus. 

Merii Sherman: I started in 2004 with the Columbus Sports Council, and my first job was collecting the handwritten rosters from all the coaches, preparing the programs, and getting the event T-shirts with every player’s name printed on the back.

I took over as Executive Director in the fall of 2025. 

LDM: How has Columbus responded and grown as a host city, and how has South Commons stood the test of time as the site of the championships? 

EY: GHSA has long had a great relationship with the city of Columbus and the Columbus Sports Council.

They have always let us run the event the way it needed to be run, and they have grown with us every step of the way. They have provided security, parking, and concessions, and it is through the dedication of their volunteers that we get to put the teams and players first and provide a world-class experience.

MS: Of all the 1996 Atlanta Olympic venues, South Commons remains one of the two most highly utilized and prized pieces of infrastructure left behind (Turner Field was originally the track-and-field venue and is now used as Georgia State’s football stadium).

Columbus has experienced a renaissance of sorts, as the downtown area has been filled in with new hotels and restaurants. The only word to describe South Commons during championship week is “electric!”

The facility hosts the Georgia Independent Athletic Association championships the week immediately before, and we use that as a dry run to prepare for the 64 teams and their fans and families.

Over the past 25 years, that facility has hosted national and international softball events, and I often wonder what these fields would say if they could speak about the games, plays, teams, and players that have experienced that special place.

It is quite a legacy the Olympics left for us. 

LDM: What stands out to you about the championship event? 

EY: Georgia softball started out in the fall; it is one of only five states that do not play in the spring.

Over the past 25 years, there have been only two proposals to move the season to the spring. When the college coaches heard about it, I must have received over 20 calls from different colleges asking us to keep it in the fall.

They love it…. and they bring their entire staff to the tournament because it’s not a busy time for them.

I have served with the National Federation of State High School Associations, and the feedback from everyone associated with that organization is that Georgia is best in class in how we conduct our sport here, and specifically that the Columbus championships are the best event across all sports and all states.

There is a lot of respect for what we do here. It’s not perfect, but we take tremendous pride and care in softball in Georgia. 

MS: The thing that jumps out at me is the extraordinary effort that the volunteers and staff at the park put forth to host this event. They do it because they love it.

The field maintenance crews are city employees, and they practice before the event. They do an amazing job turning the fields over between every game and delivering a championship-quality field of play for the teams and players.

In fact, I traveled to Irvine, California, where they hosted some international championships, and I filmed how the field crews turned over the fields. When I showed that film to our folks here, it set a standard, and those guys compete to get it right.

It’s something they take great pride in. 

In addition, the City of Columbus has a master plan for the facility and has been steadily upgrading the LED lights and bringing fiber to the park in order to broadcast games. The city also built a new batting facility for teams to practice in and is committed to continued upgrades at South Commons.

LDM: In the state of Georgia, football is king.  How do you manage the overall state of play squished in there with such a dominant sport in order to get things accomplished? 

EY: There is a Board of Trustees that handles those big decisions: reclassification, petitions for reassignment, and fairness issues.

The team responsible for executing those decisions consists of the Associate and Executive Directors. GHSA has a great team, and everyone jumps in and lends a hand. I think every sport is unique, and equity of play works itself out, as it does in every sport.

For example, Buford is in the biggest classification, and frankly, they are pretty good at every sport you can think of. There is no amount of legislating you can do to balance their results, whatever you deem to be fair.

Another example is East Coweta, another dominant softball school, whose results across other sports are far less consistent.

It does get more complicated when you get into the smaller classifications and consider private schools. There is flexibility for schools to make their case and move up, down, or around in a way that best suits their level of competition.

For instance, Pace Academy is best known for its boys’ basketball program, and it moved into the Private classification this year, as did Westminster. So, we will see how softball handles that this year. 

MS: Softball is an easy sell. We have been able to maintain our momentum in this sport, we have had consistency in leadership through Ernie’s hard work over the years, and we have been able to keep building and moving forward.

Georgia is a destination state for all things softball, both prep and college, and we are open to new ideas to make the experience better.

But make no mistake about it: 90 percent of all decisions are made with football and basketball in mind. We do have a seat at the table, and we get all the necessary resources to make the sport successful.

For example, we have expanded our media and corporate outreach, and we now have a team that works on that dimension to drive public awareness and involvement and cast the spotlight on this sport and on the championships in the way the teams and players deserve. 

LDM: In the future, do you see a way for each sport to be decoupled and managed according to its individual success? What about the use of a relegation system that moves championship teams up and nonperforming teams down? 

EY: It is an interesting opportunity and is being actively discussed.

Historically, it would have been too confusing and too difficult to get everyone on board and manage it effectively. But technology may better enable it, and we are watching other states, such as Alabama, as they run a similar system for their football programs. 

MS: Softball has challenges that other sports do not. As long as the weather cooperates, Georgia softball is in a sweet spot right now. But it is fun to think about the opportunities that we could explore to make the competition tighter and the games more exciting.

No matter what you commit to paper, you need to be mindful that Georgia is a very big state.

Local high schools playing their historic rivals still means something, and travel logistics are truly understood only by the coaches and bus drivers. No matter how good an idea may be, actually implementing it may have negative consequences that we are not addressing now. 

LDM: Thank you for your time today. Thank you for all the hard work you have invested in this sport. I hope to see you in Columbus. Have a great season! 

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3 Things I Learned This Week 

Weather impacted a large slate of midweek games.

The heat this summer has been bruising, and some rain was a welcome relief in general, unless it affected your game.

After traveling the state, I’ve seen a stark contrast in field conditions. There are great fields that can handle weather before, during, and after games. Some programs have installed field turf that recovers quickly and allows play 30 minutes after rain.

However, some fields become the Okefenokee Swamp, and rain pushes the schedule back two days while the field recovers. 

Prep softball mostly took a break for Labor Day weekend, with a lighter slate of games. For many of these players, it was their first weekend off since February.

Enjoy the break.

After a month of the season, the contenders, pretenders, and the rest of the pack begin to come into focus. This coming weekend promises many terrific games and round-robin formats. 

Culture matters more than talent. Over these first 30 days of the season, I have loved learning about the new faces in the state who are lifting their teams into contention.

However, what is striking is that most of these teams have been there and done that.

These programs are the product of healthy cultures and dugouts that have learned how to be successful.

I have several coach interviews planned for the coming weeks, and I hope to learn what makes these programs both different and familiar as they compete for the state championship each season. 

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Now, let’s look at this week’s results across the Peach State…

Class 7A

*** Buford is running downhill, extending its consecutive-win streak to 46 games. The team dispatched Collins Hill 10–2 and Mill Creek 17–7. It has a Columbus preview this week with four games at South Commons. The Wolves are familiar faces in Columbus and will play Villa Rica, Houston County, Fayette County, and Harris County, a contender for the 5A crown. Can anyone stop this train? 

*** Richmond Hill scored 31 runs en route to a 3–0 week, improving its record to 10–2. The team will get a heavy dose of the Effingham experience this week, with two games against Effingham County and one against South Effingham. 

*** Harrison had a great week, with two wins against East Paulding and North Atlanta, and improved to 11–1 overall. The team has a full week with five winnable games against Etowah, North Cobb, McEachern, Cedartown, and Central Carroll.

Can the players maintain their focus and intensity to preserve their gaudy record? Every win matter if they want to avoid facing Buford in Columbus for as long as possible. 

*** Brookwood has improved its season record to 11–1 with two shutout wins against North Gwinnett and Peachtree Ridge.

Brookwood has not played any elite teams yet, but the team will face Lassiter, North Gwinnett three times, and Walton to finish the season. 

*** Cherokee had an up-and-down week, going 2–2, with wins against Marietta and Paulding County and losses in both games of a doubleheader against River Ridge.

The team’s overall record is 13–4, and it has three games this week. Cherokee also has two more games against Walton and two against Mount Paran. 

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Class 6A

*** Creekview had its 10-game winning streak snapped against Pope but defeated Kell to improve its record to 12–3.

The team has four games this week and a murderer’s row at the end of the month, with games against Buford, Lassiter, Pope, and Harrison. 

*** Loganville is riding an 11-game winning streak after going 2–0 this week, with wins against OLA and Apalachee, improving its record to 11–1. 

*** The Pope Greyhounds went 1–1 this week, losing to Lassiter 9–5 and defeating Creekview 8–7. A very tough week indeed.

They will have rematches against both teams in October. 

*** Dacula improved to 14–3 for the season after a 2–0 week, with wins against Seckinger and Collins Hill. 

*** Lassiter finished the week at 13–3 and is led by the 2028 Batroff twins: Katelyn, the catcher, and Aimee, the infielder.

These players had a busy week, as they also committed to Troy State.  Both junior standouts were ranked in the Top 20 of the Line Drive Media HOT 100 released this week.

Congrats to them and, frankly, to their parents! Wow. They have several really big games looming against Cartersville, Walton, Creekview, and Pope.

There is no doubt that the Trojans are on track for a trip to Columbus. 

*** Johns Creek has emerged as a contender this season, with the best start in program history at 14–3.

The Gladiators had an 11-game winning streak before losing 5–3 to Milton this week.

Riding the right arm of 2029 pitcher Uma Pittman, this team is generating buzz in North Atlanta and has some formidable games coming up against Riverwood, Lanier, and Milton again.

If the Gladiators can win these games, they will have established their bona fides for Columbus. 

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Class 5A

*** Wayne County went 2–0 this week to improve to 16–2 overall. The team boat-raced Richmond Academy and Jenkins. 

*** North Oconee is riding a 14-game winning streak, with wins this week against Madison County and Flowery Branch. The team’s schedule remains suspect—that is the reverse math of being undefeated—but no one can argue with the wins.

*** The Titans are led by 2028 RHP Whitley Smith, who has been mastering the 5A classification so far.

They have played several extra-inning games and managed to thrive in those close contests. They have a big week coming up against always-tough Social Circle and East Forsyth. 

*** Harris County and Cartersville had great weeks, and they may appreciate hunting Wayne County and North Oconee.

Harris County faces Buford this week.  

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Class 4A

*** Heritage is now 10–1 after finishing the week 1–1, losing a great game to Calhoun 11–10 and winning big against Southeast Whitfield. Brylee Pritchett hit a grand slam in the losing effort. 

 

*** Cherokee Bluff is 11–4 after going 3–1 for the week, with wins against East Hall and Oconee County and a loss to Monroe Area. 

*** Pickens went 2–0 this week and holds a season-to-date record of 10–2. 

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Class 3A

*** Shiver me timbers—there are two pirate softball teams dominating the 3A classification. Appling County went 4–0 this week and is dominating this classification with a 14–2 record. The Pirates have a huge rematch this week against Wayne County. 

*** The Pike County Pirates are 9–2. Ahoy! I am looking forward to a clash of the swashbucklers in Columbus. 

*** Defending state champion Sonoraville is 12–3, with wins over Gordon Lee and Bremen. The Phoenix look to break up the oligopoly of scallywags and make them walk the plank on the way to Columbus. 

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Class 2A

*** The Berrien Rebels are now 10–3. Berrien had a big win this week against Lanier County. The team credited the win to pregaming with pumpkin-spice brews. 

*** Banks County has moved to 12-2 for the season, finishing last week 5-0 with a great win against Providence Christian (7-3). 

*** Armuchee has moved to 14–2 after a 5–0 week, with wins over Darlington, Pepperell, Bowdon, and Model. 

*** The Dade County Wolverines, from the far northwestern corner of Georgia, went 2–0 this week to improve their season record to 13–2. They faced Gordon Lee and handled the team impressively, 13–5. 

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Class 1A

*** Lanier County dropped its biggest game of the season against Berrien, and the PSR punished the team by dropping it to 10^th place.

After losing to Berrien 6–5, its overall record for the season is 7–3.

It has a critical rematch against Berrien on September 14^th. Irwin has a 7–1 record and notched a win against Bremen this week, signaling to the classification that it is a contender. 

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Private

*** Hebron continued to assert its authority over the Private classification, going 3–0 for the week. The team has a monster week coming up, with games against Morgan County, Lanier, Cherokee Bluff, and Carrollton. There is no doubt that the Lions are built for prime time, but this is a ferocious stretch. It presents a puzzle: how should they manage the arm of 2028 Kate Kennedy? We shall see. 

*** It was a big week for Mount Paran Christian, as the team answered this columnist’s question and rang the bell. The Eagles took down the Mount Vernon Mustangs 13–8 to avenge a loss the prior week and split the regular-season series between the two teams. 

Two 2028 standouts played major roles in the Eagles’ win.

Hadley O’Kelley (2028 RHP) earned the win in the circle, allowing just one earned run while recording five strikeouts. 

On the offensive side, Kira Driggers (2028 MIF/UT) had a huge night at the plate, blasting not one but two home runs to help power the Mount Paran offense. Kira had an even bigger moment this week when she announced her verbal commitment to play for John Rittman at Clemson.

Congrats to you, Kira! 

As the postseason gets closer, we will continue to watch these two key pieces of a Mount Paran team with its sights set on Columbus. 

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Steve’s Take 

Youth is often wasted on the young… don’t miss it.

There are a lot of distractions, personal ambitions, and hardships. Enjoy the dugout life. Don’t grow up; it’s a trap.

Tomorrow will always be waiting, but this season is already one-third of the way done.

Exercise radical ownership and be present in the moment. Find a younger teammate and lift them up unconditionally. Ride the bus home, win or lose.

Give the freshmen a ride home after practice. Be the teammate your teammates deserve; that means a lot more than simply making a play on the field. 

So how many miles is it to Columbus from your school?

If you know it, feel free to drop me a line and give me the insider’s look at your team and the journey ahead this season.

You can reach me at hickeysd1@yahoo.com and I will be happy to include an update and also perhaps do a player or coach profile.

— Steve Hickey/Line Drive Contributor