There are five states that play their high school softball in the fall: Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia, which is arguably the most significant of these states. 

Line Drive Softball has launched a 12-week series covering prep play in the Peach State led by Steve Hickey under the title of Road to Columbus, tracking the pathway to the state championships in Columbus, Ga.

Steve is no stranger to Columbus.  Buoyed by his two daughters and their high school teammates, he has visited Columbus each of the past four years.  

“It is a beautiful time of year in that part of the state in late October,” he says, “and I want every softball fan to share in the quality of those experiences.”

Now that his daughters are playing softball in college—Reagan is a redshirt freshman at  Virginia and Reese is a true freshman at Samford— Steve is writing to stay busy and use it as a cheap excuse to interview people for their thoughts that have stamped their mark on the sport from South Commons.

Here’s our 5th of the series which today looks at how things are shaping up for the playoffs after one month of play and who are the Hunted… and who are the Hunters!

Click on the following links to access previous articles:

• Week 4: August 31, 2025
• Week 3: August 24, 2025
• Week 2: August 17, 2025
• Week 1: August 10, 2025

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After a month of play, Georgia High School Athletics has released its first power ranking of the season.

As former UCLA Coach, Sue Enquist said,

“Anything worthy of your passion, should be worthy of your preparation.” 

After a month of GHSA play, there is no hiding or faking the preparation of the 2025 season.

Let’s do a run down and see where preparation for the players in Georgia has led them so far. A reader may need to break out the weather reports to cross reference all results, as August has produced one of the rainier months in recent memory.

There are the usual suspects atop these rankings, but there are a few newcomers to these calculations.

How are these rankings calculated?

It’s all about winning.

And then it’s all about winning on the road. And then its all about winning on the road against teams that win. And even then, it is all about winning on the road against teams that win on the road.

Winning at home matters as well, but it catches a 10 percent discount, compared to the 10 percent premium on road wins.

As would be expected of any set of rankings, these calculations are fluid and will tighten and soft schedules will expose the pretenders. We will monitor the trends over the next eight weeks.

Here we go:

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6 A

The Hunted

#1. the defending state champion, East Coweta Indians takes its 12-0 record into September with names and numbers. At press time, the results of a doubleheader against Eastside have come in, both with losses. More on that later.

East Coweta has a “Come at me” scheduling motto, and Head Coach Franklin Deloach is always looking down the Road to Columbus to be ready for the Championship Event. Their schedule thus far into the season has very impressive, as the “opponents win percentage” is the differentiator over second place Buford. East Coweta has impressive wins over Pike County and Gordon Lee. Their remaining opponents are a gauntlet, including two games against reigning 4A champions Harris County, Carrollton. Beyond that, the Civil War awaits.

#2. Buford Wolves (10-0) went undefeated through the month of August as well. The Wolves rang up big wins against Mill Creek, Gordon Lee, and Lassiter. Its schedule for the remainder of the regular season is daunting as all the best teams from the lower designations try to climb the mountain and knock them off. Regardless, there is no regular season game against East Coweta. Fans will have to wait until Columbus for that.

#3. the Carrollton Trojans (9-0) also finished August with a perfect record, including an impressive win over the North Cobb Warriors. Sophomore outfielder Arianna Harley leads the Trojans as they are making some noise in this 6A classification. Are they a contender or a pretender? Their schedule will show us the answer. The Trojans have a showdown at East Coweta on September 16^th, another rematch at North Cobb on September 30^th.

The Hunters

#4, North Gwinnett Bulldogs (12-2) claimed a huge win against Loganville, and this proud program has their own sights set on South Commons in Columbus at the end of October. Led by Cornell commit Victoria Na, the Bulldogs are the only program that has busted up the Buford/East Coweta Civil War, winning the state championship in 2021. They are looking for one last ride to South Commons.

#6. North Cobb (10-2) fell this past week, but they have another crack at Carrolton later in September as well as a non-region match up with Buford at home on September 27^th. That game could be a Columbus preview. North Cobb is led by senior pitcher Leah Byrd, an Auburn commit, and wants to get back to Columbus, where they fell last year to eventual runner up Buford. The Warriors also have upcoming games against perennial powers Cherokee, Kell, and East Paulding.

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5 A

The Hunted

#1. Veterans Warhawks (13-1) from Houston County (pronounced “How-Ston”) have inserted their name into the championship chase with two impressive wins over Coffee and additional wins over Northside (Columbus) and West Laurens. Led by junior Braylin Horton, MaxPreps has listed the Warhawks as the No. 1 team in the state, regardless of classifications. In review of their upcoming schedule, they will play at Northside (Columbus) again and Houston County. These things have a way of working themselves out, and the expression “the cream rises to the top” will be proven out.

#2. Coffee Trojans (10-4) have already grappled with Veterans three times, dropping two of those. Otherwise, they have some nice wins against Tift and Lanier Counties.  They have another trifecta scheduled versus Northside (Columbus) later in the regular season.  It will be interesting to see how this team fares in the pressure of the final month of the season.

#3. the defending state champion, Creekview Grizzlies (13-1) has started where they left off last year in Columbus.  Led by senior Emma Nix, a future University of North Georgia pitcher, the Grizzlies have dealt losses to Harrison, Pope, and Gordon Lee before the calendar turns to September.  Their upcoming schedule will separate the wheat from the chafe, with an upcoming three game stretch versus Pope, versus Buford, and at North Cobb.

The Hunters

#4. Loganville Red Devils (10-1) with wins against Hebron Christian, and its lone loss at North Gwinnett, it would appear that Loganville is making their move. However, it has a double header against Northside (Columbus) on September 30^th that will determine if this team is built for a championship run. Led by seniors Addyson Moss and Anslee Hammock, this team is no stranger to Columbus and they are determined to be a force to reckon with as the calendar turns to October.

#8. Decatur (8-1) has run its first month of the season at a strong 8-1, a return to success that has its fans clamoring for a run to Columbus. Led by senior Ava Bearden, Decatur has much to prove as their current schedule lacks the level of strength to get ready for Columbus. There looms an important game at the end of the regular season against Pace Academy and their talented sophomore pitcher, Megan Wrigley. Decatur is going to have to adjust to better pitching quickly.

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4 A

The Hunted

#1. Eastside Eagles (9-0) has served notice. The runner-up from last year’s 4A championships with two decisive wins against East Coweta in a doubleheader (11-6 and 5-2) have served notice on this classification. Led by senior Georgia Tech commit Donee Morain and senior Kylee Lawrence, a Memphis commit, the Eagles shocked the Peach State world with this huge upset and then backed it up with a second victory to show that it was no mistake.

#5. The Harris County Tigers (13-3) are still the defending State Champion. Until someone comes and gets it, they remain as the team to beat. Meanwhile, they are putting together another run to Columbus. As September unfolds, a rematch of last year’s championship game against Eastside awaits and then Carrolton, East Coweta twice, Northside (Columbus), and Heard County. Woof.

The Hunters

#2. Kell Longhorns (13-1) with wins against Blessed Trinity and two wins against Cambridge, Kell has jumped out to a great start for this fall. Led by senior Virginia Tech Hokie commit, Anna Bardeen, and Junior Lyla Morici, Kell is hungry to repeat its deep run in Columbus again this year. Its remaining schedule holds two more rematches against Cambridge (home and away), and versus North Cobb.

#3. Cambridge Bears (11-2) with wins against Blessed Trinity and a loss against The Mount Vernon School, Cambridge is a young team trying to prove they have the right stuff. Led by junior pitcher, Lily Kimball and precocious sophomore Emma Johnson, Cambridge has one of the most difficult schedules in the state. Their remaining schedule has them hosting Kell, Blessed Trinity, Buford, Wesleyan, Lassiter, and Creekview. Whew. If they survive that finish, they indeed will be proven to be Columbus worthy.

#4, Northside (Columbus) Patriots (10-1) have entered their next era without longtime ace pitcher, Abby Lovell (Troy State) has moved through its schedule as expected, dropping its only loss versus Veterans 7-8. Led by junior third baseman Kassidy Anderson and sophomore catcher Doodle Williams, Northside is always a threat to lift the trophy in Columbus. The program, led by Coach Sydney Karastury, has an impressive resume of three state championships and four runners up finishes, and always has its sights set on South Commons to sort things out. Its remaining regular season includes a September doubleheader against Loganville, and a rematch versus Veterans.

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3 A

The Hunted

#1. West Laurens Raiders (11-2) have gotten off to a strong 2025 campaign with wins over Houston and Wheeler Counties. Madison Brown, a sophomore outtie with power, has been a standout thus far in the young season. There remains a lot of strength in the latter half of the season with match-ups against Coffee, two games against Harlem, and Houston County and a test against Veterans.

#2. Harlem Bulldogs (12-5) have battled against a tough early season schedule thus far. Unless you win, the strength of schedule does not matter. Losses to Veterans, Houston County, and Carrollton have not helped their power ranking calculation, nor does it eliminate them from success in South Commons.

The Hunters

#15. Heritage, Catoosa (7-4) it is exceedingly difficult to list the reigning state champion as a hunter, but the team’s slowly start this season is giving doubters plenty to chirp about. 

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1 A

The Hunted

#1. Lamar County Trojans (11-1) have won over Jackson County and Marion County. However, it is difficult to see the depth in the current schedule, but there are two games in front of them against Social Circle, a proven Columbus operator.

#8. defending state champion Gordon Lee (9-4) may not calculate out into the top spots, due to its brutal scheduling, but you can never discount the champion’s heart from consideration. As Sue Enquist, the UCLA once said, “When given the choice between players that have proven themselves, and players that have yet to prove themselves, I always choose the latter and not the former.”  If you apply this logic to Coach Dana Mulls squad, it is hard not to pencil them straight to South Commons.

The Hunters

#3. Bacon County Ducks (9-0) have six separate doubleheaders against the same teams. In all my interviews with championship winning coaches, this was a trend that was not discussed. Perhaps I am not reading their schedule correctly.  Perhaps they are short cutting the travel logistics in the name of convenience.  We will continue to monitor.

#6. Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets (9-3) dropped an early season game against Harlem. There are a couple of games left against Bacon County and Coffee still to come. However, with multiple double headers with the same four or five teams, it is hard to analyze where this squad might end up.

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Private

The Hunted

#2. Wesleyan Wolves (11-0) have picked up where they left off after winning the Private GHSA State Championship last year. Its undefeated start included wins against region foe, Mount Paran, Marist, and St. Pius X. Returning seniors Avery Tucker, an Ole Miss commit, Shayla Bahr, Florida, and pitcher Jessica Epps, Furman, aim for prep perfection, to win four consecutive state championships. Coach Peppers has a difficult schedule to finish the regular season, as Buford, North Gwinnett, Pace, Mount Vernon, and Cambridge all try to load up and trip up this team.  Plus, their own region tournament playoff. Buford, in particular, has some payback from the battle of the Wolves last year when Wesleyan spoiled their perfect record. Wesleyan hails from what is considered the “region of death” with up to three serious contenders for Columbus coming out of this bracket.

#1. Prince Avenue Wolverines (12-1) is no stranger to strong starts. Coach Byrom’s squad may be young, but they can hit. With early season wins against bigger schools, the Wolverines have important road wins against St. Pius X and Apalachee. The Wolverines return a core group of seniors that won the championship two seasons ago and finished third last season. Led by pitcher Kylee Simmons, a University of South Carolina Upstate commit, and junior Berkeley Dunn, they plan to make sure Columbus is not settled without their involvement.

The Hunters

#2. Hebron Christian Lions (11-1) has reloaded its pitching staff with last year’s ace, Gwen Hill, headed to Furman, the ball rolls to Kate Kennedy, a sophomore pitcher; already in this young season, she has a shared no-hitter with Ainsley Trenbeath. Coach Brittany Lewis expects senior Lauren Kyranakis, a Georgia State commit, Trenbeath, and talented sophomore shortstop Juis Huber to crank up the firepower to drive the bus to Columbus. The Lions have a home and home against Prince Avenue ahead of them to finish September. It will be fun to watch this young team compete and develop.

#4. Mount Vernon Mustangs (9-0) have graduated loads of talent over the past two years. Despite this, the Mustangs capped off their first perfect month of August including impressive wins versus Pace Academy and Social Circle. Their most impressive win yet was knocking off Cambridge in extra innings 8-5. Led by senior Priscilla Andrin, Providence College commit; she is perhaps the most talented player that does not get talked about enough; Andrin shared Player of the Year awards with University of Alabama star Audrey Vandergriff two years ago when she was a sophomore.  Despite a monster junior season and another return trip to the Columbus Final 4, she is determined to prove last year’s nomination slight for All-State consideration was a poor choice. In addition to Andrin, the Mustangs have Ella Clockadale, a corners sophomore that is looking to build on a legacy in Columbus. Last year, she smoked a homerun in Elite 8, and has leveled up her production for the 2025 season.  These two players have this team pointed to Columbus, just 124 miles away from their north Atlanta campus.  Certainly, no stranger to the rigors of scheduling Coach Mike Edmonson has his Mustangs pitted against top contenders, Mount Paran, Wesleyan, St. Pius, and a rematch versus Social Circle, plus the region tournament. Whew, a murderer’s row, but to be the best, you gotta beat the best, as they say.

#15. Mount Paran Eagle (6-4) is off to a slower start than most would expect. However, the early season slate has been a venerable murder’s row with losses to Gordon Lee, Kell, and Wesleyan. Led by Ruby Collins, Coach Greg Giles is guiding a young squad through the very difficult region schedule, and he expects it will do wonders preparing the team for the road to Columbus.  The Eagles still have Pope, Mount Vernon, and the remaining region tournament.