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 8 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
• Click HERE for Week 5’s report
• Click HERE for Week 6’s report
• Click HERE for Week 7’s report

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Under Pressure

The heat in Georgia has been replaced with pressure. 

Without benefit of the Southeast’s hurricane season to break up the summer heat, high school softball in the Peach State has enjoyed mostly consistent dry but hot conditions. 

Fall is here now, and teams are entering their last two weeks of the regular season… and the pressure mounts.  Some players are thriving while some are not.  It’s not what you do, it’s when you do it. 

Who does it when you gotta have it?

Region standings are critical moving into the state playoffs.  Each region may elect to award its winner based on regular season or play into a region championship. 

Under revised GHSA rules, only the champion is automatically awarded a state playoff birth, and the remaining 24 spots are determined by the Post Season Ranking (“PSR”).

As discussed in previous articles, this is the time coaches are stressing over the calculations for inclusion and seeding into the playoffs.  Another revision into this year GHSA bylaws is the requirement to play all announced scheduled games. 

In year’s past, you would see teams duck non-region games to protect their PSR late in the season.  Those games would be declared a forfeit this year.

It’s also a critical time for teams to finish against strong pitching.  Teams with Columbus aspirations understand that bad pitchers will set their club back for up to two weeks and leave them unprepared to face the elite arms that await them in South Commons. 

Hitters have adapted to velocity by this point of the year, but softball is an everyday sport, and a below mid pitcher can ruin the eye and timing of batters, which can spell disaster as they enter bracket play.

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Familiarity With Ending the Year in Columbus

The expression is “If you know, you know.”

Each year over the past six years, at least four of each classification’s Elite 8 teams are repeat visitors to Columbus from the prior years. 

In some classifications up to six teams have standing reservations.   While great players do graduate, traditions and culture do not.  These incumbent programs have heightened expectations to make the trip to South Commons every year.  For other programs, October is the time to dip and squeeze out the last warm days on the lake.  

It is interesting, as the regular season is closing out, you are seeing more run rule results than ever.  For some, the season is already over.  They are waiting for something bad to happen, and it’s “ball game over.”

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Our Q&A With Coaching Legend Donnie Byrom

This week, we visited with Prince Avenue Coach Donnie Byrom. 

Prince Avenue is an institution in Columbus and seized its first state championship in the fall of 2023 led by current Alabama All-American Audrey Vandergriff. 

Coach Byrom is a wily competitor, and he drives you crazy when you play against him, asking the umpires for bat checks and going out to chat with umpires over play calls. 

But he carries a lot of respect around the state from the way he runs his program, his players play for him, and you come away with increased appreciation with the way the game is supposed to be played. 

Coach Byrom earned his 500^th career win earlier this season and has his club No. 1 in the Private Classification. He and his team are hungry to lift another trophy this year in Columbus.  

Here’s what the future Hall of Famer had to say in our recent chat with him…

Line Drive Media:  Tell us how you started this season? 

Donnie Byrom: As a value of our program, we want the game to be affordable and accessible to as many kids as possible, so we run reduced fee camps throughout the year for kids of all ages. 

With the mix of ages, it’s good for everyone involved: the younger kids get exposure to these terrific older kids, and the older kids get to develop by teaching them the way we do things here. I have learned that our players develop tremendous self-confidence through teaching others. 

During the off-season for us, travel ball takes priority and most of our kids go to their travel teams and they’re putting in a lot of work away from us. 

In all, we have 52 kids participate in these affordable lessons and camps, so I love having our softball community come together to participate in our events. 

LDM: How is your squad doing this year? 

DB: I am very pleased with the buy-in of each and every player to what our team needs from them.  We have a good mix of younger and older girls, everyone is playing positions that, frankly, we didn’t know how it was going to look. 

We have some older girls that are in our high leverage positions, specifically pitching, but this is the first time that we are relying on them like this. 

We have four freshmen and a sophomore that are starting.  I knew we could hit and defend, which will always keep you in games, but our pitching has been there and our leadership to compete has been outstanding. 

I am very pleased how they have all come together.  The girls love each other, and playing for each other.  This has been a fun season for me.  It’s been a pleasant surprise with such a young and unproven team for them to come out of the gate competing. 

It’s a product of the system we have here.  We invite our eighth graders to travel to Columbus when we compete down there, so they see the environment, the expectations, and all the chaos of that championship event so, when they arrive as freshmen, they understand what it takes to get there and be successful. 

LDM:  Talk about your players of impact this season. 

DB: Finley Thomas has been at Prince since the second grade.  She has been through all of our wars, has a state title, and is a threat for power at every at bat. 

Berkeley Dunn is our other senior.  She has come back from injury, and her leadership has been invaluable.  She had the walk-off hit in her freshman year to win the state championship, and I think she wants to touch the sun one more time before she graduates. 

Finally, our senior pitcher is Callie Collins.  Effectively, she is a first-year player in that role, so we were uncertain of how she would hold up and compete and give us a chance to win, but she’s been a revelation.

Callie is as tough as nails and even when other teams hit off her, she stays locked in and keeps working. 

We played Eastside and they got all over her early for a 5-0 lead after two innings, but she kept fighting.  She ended settling down, keeping them off balance, and gave our offense a chance to get going.  We found a way to come back and win that game 8-7. 

LDM:  Who are some of the teams and players that you have already played that are notable? 

DB: That Eastside team is a great team.  We were fortunate to pull a win out there. 

Banks County beat us the first time, and we will close out the regular season against them.  They just match up well against us, and they are in our region, so that is going to be a monster game.  Marley McDaniel, their shortstop, is one of the finest players in the country. 

Providence Christian is a good team and their center fielder, Maddie Simmasouk, is an outstanding player that you will be hearing about for a long time. 

Madison County has a shortstop, 2027 Brooke Porterfield, who is also one of the best players we have competed against. 

Finally, we played St. Pius and lost 4-3 because they have leveled up this season with Annabel Terry at pitcher and she kept us off-balance all day. 

LDM: Looking out over the headlights, your schedule, your region format, state playoffs, what do you see? 

DB: What a difference a week makes!

The Private Classification has 10 very good teams—Pace Academy is a new entrant—and we will have to get them sorted out, but a week ago, we were looking at a lower seed and some of the disadvantages of playing through the bracket to Columbus.

However, we went 4-0 with that big win against Eastside and some of the other teams took some losses and took a step back so now, we may have earned a bye week, and I need to start preparing ways to keep our hitting consistent with that week off. 

The old adage of rest versus rust comes to mind, but frankly, I would rather have a week of practice than play against some of those lower seeds that simply do not have competitive pitching. 

Facing those types of arms may set you back more than having an off week. 

LDM: What about Columbus is your favorite part? 

DB: It is the best event GHSA hosts across all sports for a championship—it’s a special event. 

For the players, it’s a travel ball reunion—college coaches are everywhere—and it brings a level of gravitas to what we are doing down there and, to be able to go, it demonstrates that your program is successful. 

We have eight eighth graders that will come into our program next year.  In short, my two goals is for all those freshmen to finish strong and have them all play as seniors and to go to Columbus. 

I want my team to experience South Commons each year, and I want all my players to come back and play again next year.  In fact, I had two juniors stop playing travel ball this year, they don’t want to play college, and that is fine, but they want to keep playing school ball with their friends and teammates.  It’s that important to them, and I want that for them as well.  

We have Senior Night this week and we will let them address the team and hold a meal afterwards.  It’s a special time of year, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of their journey.   

LDM:  Thanks Coach. Congrats on your 500^th career win this season, and many more to come.  Good luck as you finish the season and we will see you in Columbus.!

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3 Things I Learned This Week

It’s fun to go to a game to watch a high-level match-up between two good teams and look for players I’ve written about and then to get impressed by another player. 

I walk the walk of a scout: no skin in the game for the winner or loser, just wanting to see some great plays and watch players go about their business. 

This week, I went to North Georgia to watch Sonoraville play non-region opponent Heritage.   The Lady Vikings are a very talented team poised to repeat in a crowded classification. 

More on this game below in this week’s results.  

Teams are taking the month of October to celebrate and support Breast Cancer research and wear pink in solidarity with friends and family that have been affected by this insidious disease.  We all know someone who has bravely fought this fight, and it really puts softball into perspective. 

This is a beautiful sport and has the power to connect us and unlock opportunities for the players.  To stop and share their respective blessings allows these teams understand the game of life is far more important. 

Bad things do happen to good people.  We have seen some late season injuries that rob players of their finish and deplete teams that are positioning themselves for post season play. 

We hate to see it, but injuries are part of sport, and these opportunities give someone else a chance to step up and play. 

But are they ready?  Can the teams rally together and respond in a positive manner or is it their excuse to fold up shop?  

We will soon see… 

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

Class 7A

*** Buford dropped its third game of the season, to Dacula, this week by a score of 6-5.  The Wolves held onto the No. 1 PSR over Harrison by 70 basis points, the closest spread across all GHSA classifications.  However, Buford has been stripped of its air of invincibility, and the post season looks to be a dogfight across this loaded field.  

*** Harrison is 25-1 and has been mowing down the competition with four consecutive run rules.  The Lady Hoyas have a monster game to close out the regular season against 6A power Creekview this Thursday.  I hope the press box has good coffee and doughnuts! 

*** Brookwood has run its record to 21-2 with three run-rule wins—against Walton, Norcross, and Duluth.  It closes the regular season this week with a massive game against Lassister. 

*** After surging into 3^rd place last week, Northgate dropped three consecutive games this week against Harris County, Adairsville, and Central.  The Lady Vikings must get back on track quickly and the post season is no place to be figuring things out. 

*** East Coweta is 18-8 after dropping a tough game to Starr’s Mill this week.  The Indians will be a young and dangerous team headed into post season.  Don’t underestimate Coach Franklin DeLoach’s ability to drive the bus to Columbus.     

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Class 6A

*** South Effingham held on to the top spot of the Post Season Rankings for the third week, running its season to date with a 21-2 record.  The team has four more games this week to close out the regular season, but I don’t suspect any drama, and they should hold this seeding into the state playoffs.  

*** Creekview is 19-4 and continues to maintain its firm grip on the No. 2 spot in the PSR.  It dropped a game to Lassiter this week 13-6, but bounced right back with a good win over Pope 9-4.  The Greyhounds finish the regular season this Thursday against Harrison. 

*** Lassiter is No. 3 in the PSR and finished the week 22-4.  It will finish the regular season this week against Pope and Brookwood. 

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Class 5A

*** Cartersville held onto the No. 1 spot in the PSR with a 23-2 record.  Over the past three seasons, this has been the most competitive and exciting classification as Harris County and Eastside have traded blows to win the championship.  It’s shaping up to be a magnificent showdown in South Commons as these teams come together. 

*** Harris County is 21-5 and has locked in the No. 2 seed as its remaining schedule looks manageable.  

*** Cambridge announced it is a bona fide contender for Columbus with the team’s upset of Buford last week and proceeded to go 4-0 this week with three run-rule victories.  The schedule to close out the regular season will have powerhouses Walton and Pope, but this young and talented club will try to break through to Columbus. 

*** Eastside is lurking in sixth place in the PSR with a gaudy 20-4 record behind 2028 Kennedi Johnekins, who is putting up some eye-popping results from both the circle and at the plate. 

The post season is shaping up to have some exciting games for all of these teams. 

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Class 4A

*** Long County is No. 1 in the PSR with a record of 16-3 and solidified its hold as the No. 1 seed in the PSR.  The Tide finishes its regular season this week with a doubleheader against Savannah Christian and GIAA powerhouse Tatnall Square.   

*** Heritage dropped its rematch against Sonoraville this week 10-5 and was hammered in its PSR standing slipping to sixth. This was the Game of the Week that I traveled to—it was a beautiful evening in North Georgia—but there were simply too many errors by the Generals to go win this game.   Their scheduled to finish the season is manageable, however. 

*** Cherokee Bluff is 21-6 after dropping its game this week against an angry Buford club.  Still, the strength schedule so far has kept the team in the conversation for threats to win this classification.  It closes out against North Gwinnett this week and will be a tough team on its way to Columbus. 

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Class 3A

*** Appling County continued its piracy of the 3A classification, running its record to 20-0. The Pirates will get their test over the next couple of weeks as the state playoff bracket opens up.  

*** Worth County maintained its No. 2 spot in the PSR with a 22-3 record.  The team will wrap up its regular season this week with a couple of winnable games and head into region playoffs looking to get sharp for the road to Columbus. 

*** Defending state champ, Sonoraville, is now 20-5 after winning its rematch against Heritage.  Reigning player of the year, Marley Hall, the 2029 catcher, has become a game wrecker.  Playing alongside Lakelin Hall, the 2027 signee with the University of West Georgia, these sisters want to win it one more time. 

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Class 2A

*** As noted with Coach Byrom, Banks County has taken the No. 1 ranking in this classification.  Led by Marley McDaniel, Banks has a strong path to Columbus, and we should hear a lot about this team in the coming weeks. 

*** Bacon County slid back to No. 2 in the PSR with a 14-3 record and an uncertain schedule and even greater uncertain quality of wins.  The toll must be paid, and the road to Columbus will reveal all pretenders. 

*** Cooks is 21-2 season to date and is firmly in the No. 3 PSR spot.   

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Class 1A

*** Wheeler has jetted out to a 23-1 record and is currently listed as the No. 1 team in the Single A classification. 

*** Irwin has a 16-3 record and is ranked No. 2. 

*** Reigning champ Lanier is 16-4 and advanced one spot into the seventh spot of the PSR ranking, slowly working its way back into contention. 

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Private

*** Prince Avenue has taken control of this classification.  The notable absence of four-time defending state champion, Wesleyan, has left the door wide open across several teams. 

*** Hebron Christian remains battle tested and has an elite pitcher in 2028 Kate Kennedy and remains a dangerous team. 

*** Mount Paran and Mount Vernon are Columbus regulars and have stout lineups that can get anyone on any given night. 

*** We will continue to monitor Pace Academy and their star twins.  So, this classification should be fun. 

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Steve’s Take 

*** As the last week of regular season approaches, it’s fair to go back to the start of where everything began. 

It’s also fair to ask – when was the start? 

For the very good teams, they don’t wait until July to start preparing for success—it starts in the weight room in February. It starts with difficult travel team play, with camps, coaches, and high expectations.

As the regular season winds down, you can see all of this investment come to the front, and it is now time for the stars to shine. 

Dominant pitching, defense that anticipates, the potential of power hitting, disciplined strike zones, and timely hitting… these are no accidental plays. 

It is simply a revelation of when and where things got started. 

— Steve Hickey/Line Drive Contributor