This season closed for Georgia Highlands Softball Saturday, May 7th with two walk-off wins versus Gordon State. The team placed 5th in regular season conference play, which put the Chargers a position shy of reaching the top four who went on to play in the post-season for a berth to nationals. The Chargers finished out the season with 16 wins and 36 losses, and were 9-15 in GCAA conference play. As a team, in 52 games scored 269 runs with a team batting average of .304. The Chargers smashed 53 homeruns on the season ranking the team 3rd in homeruns across the conference.
In individual awards, first baseman, Hailey Cronic was named to the First Team All-Region from the GCAA. Cronic posted the highest batting average within the team, and in the conference with a .424 average at the plate. In 52 games, she posted 70 hits, with 13 doubles, a triple, seven homeruns, and 37 RBI. On defense, Cronic posted a .985 fielding percentage by only committing six errors in 393 total chances.
In other individual awards, outfielder Annsley Todd was named to the Second Team All-Region from the GCAA. In 145 at bats, Todd hit for a .276 average, with 53 hits, four doubles, 25 RBI, and her first homerun of her career. On defense, Annsley posted a .919 fielding percentage only committing five errors in 62 total chances.
In academic awards, Maggie Schandera was awarded the Female Scholar Athlete of the year by Georgia Highlands College. This honor comes from her hard work and dedication in the classroom at Georgia Highlands as she posted the highest GPA for athletes who have completed three semesters.
On the last game day, the Sophomores were honored in our on-field ceremony. These ladies have gone through difficulties in their career including a coaching staff change, injuries, and a season lost to COVID-19. However much they have gone through, they persevered in their studies and on the ball field to become fine athletes, and even better young ladies. We are proud to present our sophomores who will be graduating from our program.
Kyndal Brown #28
Kyndal has been with Charger's softball for three seasons. Since joining the team in 2019, KB has filled many roles on defense between outfield, second base, and the occasional bull pen catching. This year, she has collected 16 hits with two doubles and a triple. In her career, she has also smashed two homeruns, and posted a .861 fielding percentage. Her favorite memory at Georgia Highlands is having to tell Coach Sloan not just once, but twice, that she had forgotten her entire uniform on away trips. She says it was not as funny then, but looking back it is pretty funny now. Kyndal plans to attend Georgia State in the fall to continue pursuing a degree in Marketing.
Hailey Cronic #77
Hailey has been with Charger's softball for three seasons. Over the course of her career, she has been a strong bat in the lineup, and has made some ESPN worthy plays at first base. Over her career, she has posted a .387 batting average, .444 on base percentage, and a .632 slugging average. In this season alone, she has posted her highest batting stats at .411 in batting average, .464 OPS, and .649 slugging. She has hammered seven homeruns this season and 16 homeruns over the course of her career. Her favorite memory at Georgia Highlands is the time apartments J80 and J78 played flag football behind the apartment complex, and she adds that J78 most definitely won. In the fall, she will be continuing her athletic and academic career at Truett McConnel University pursuing a degree in Business.
Haley Overton #15
Haley or as we all like to call her, O.V.O., has been with Highland's softball for three seasons. Her hustle earned her a spot in the outfield and in the hitting line up. This year she has posted her career highest numbers with a .271 batting average, .287 OPS, and a slugging percentage of .298. With her hustle, she has also stolen seven bases this year, and posted a .904 fielding percentage. Her fondest memory of Highlands is the time Maggie wrapped Kyndal in plastic wrap. She then proceeded to TRY and carry her to show the coaches, and dropped her on the ground. Her future plans include finishing her Bachelor's degree, and work towards becoming a physical therapist..
Between COVID and Red shirting the 2021 season, Haley has been with Charger's softball since 2018. She has been very versatile for the team playing in the hot corner over at third base, a strong arm in the circle, and a powerful bat in the line-up. In her career she has posted a .313 batting average, .371 OPS, and a .597 slugging percentage. This year alone she leads the team in homeruns with 13, and has 16 over the course of her career. In the circle, she has a career ERA of 4.32, and has collected 63 strikeouts. Her favorite memory in her times with Highlands is when she and Gracee were on the injured reserve list and aided her coaches, the Georgia Military Coaches, and the Georgia Military football team in pulling water off the tarp with buckets and leaf blowers so that her team could play that night. Rob plans to attend Georgia Gwinnet College in the fall to continue her degree in Criminal Justice.
Maggie Schandera #14
Maggie joined the Chargers in 2019, and has pitched in three seasons with the Chargers. In her career she has started in 27 games, pitched in a total of 50 games, and threw seven complete games. In the circle she has posted a career ERA of 6.45 and struck out 59 opponents. Maggie's outgoing personality has also brought life to the school's mascot Bolt on multiple occasions. Her favorite memory while being a Charger is being named this year's Female Athlete Scholar of the year. In the fall, she will be continuing her athletic career and education at Truett McConnell. Her plans include to finish her degree in middle grades education, and go on to teach middle school math and science.