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The Jefferson Davis Academy Raiders girls softball team defeated the Cross Stingrays from Bluffton 11-1 in game two of the State Championship Series to win the 2024 SCISA 1A Softball State Championship. JDA swept the best two out of three Championship Series to claim the title in dominating fashion.
To get to the Championship Series, the Raiders had to defeat three opponents. Not only did the Raiders win all three games, but the closest of the three games was a 7-1 victory. JDA faced Wardlaw Academy, Laurens Academy, and Cross. The results were all the same. JDA came away with big wins in each contest. The Raiders downed the Wardlaw Patriots by a score of 16-3, then easily conquered the Crusaders from Laurens Academy by a 17-1 margin. JDA played the Cross Stingrays the following day and walked away with a 7-1 win and a weekend of undefeated softball going 3-0.
Cross had a little more difficult path to the Championship Series. The Stingrays had to win from the lower bracket after dropping the game to the Raiders and they did just that, earning the rematch with the Raiders in the State Championship Series.
In game one of the Championship Series, JDA got some strong pitching from Reagan Still to earn a 4-0 shutout win. For game two, the pressure was all on Cross. If Cross lost, the series would be over and JDA would be crowned State Champions. JDA took care of business offensively, scoring 11 runs while good defense and another great outing from the circle by Reagan Still kept the Stingrays scoring to only a single run. Raiders won 11-1 to win the SCISA 1-A State Championship.
The Raiders have played pretty well all season long, but have come on strong at the end of the season, winning when it counts the most. The Raiders won their last six games in a row and had lots of momentum entering the post-season. Offensively, the Raiders were able to come through with clutch hits when needed and their run production kept increasing. Pair the offense’s good hitting with some incredible pitching from Reagan Still and you have the formula for winning softball.
“First, I would like to thank my assistant coaches and parents for all their help this year. We could not have done it without them. Wow, what an awesome accomplishment on the season. We played basically three seasons in one. At the beginning of season, we played really well. The middle of the season was a struggle to get where we needed to be, but man, at the end of the season our team went to a different level. Starting with the game at Andrew Jackson Academy, we decided to buy into what we were doing and it was a masterpiece on the field. We played our best softball over the last five games to win the State Championship. As I told my girls, we played big girl softball in the state tournament. We scored 55 runs and gave up only 6. It was an awesome season and I'm proud of my team and coaches!” said JDA Raiders head coach Bart Owens.
This Raiders team had many important parts working together to play championship level softball. Leading the way were seniors Reagan Still and Gylian Googe.
Coach Owens was asked about his seniors and was happy to say, “Reagan Still has been an absolute pleasure to coach. She is always working on her craft to get better. Reagan will go down as one of the best to ever pitch in a Raiders jersey. She always gives you a chance to win and her heart is as big as the sky. I will miss her next year, but she is off to do great things at Florence-Darlington Tech, where she has signed to play softball this fall. Reagan was lights out in the State Tournament and Championship Series.”
Coach Owens continued saying, “Gylian Googe has been with me since fifth grade and has always been a pleasure to coach. She has played several positions over the years and done really well. Gyl is a great young lady with a bright future ahead of her. She will be missed for all the laughs and dancing to keep everyone loose and ready to play. We will miss Gyl next year and she played her best softball when it counted, in the State Tournament and Championship Series.”
Everyone is very proud of the Lady Raiders State Championship, including JDA Head of School Carla Jackson. When asked about the softball team’s State Championship, Jackson replied, “We are so proud of the girls’ win. The dedication of each player, as well as that of Coach Bart and all the assistant coaches, has definitely paid off. This championship is the result of multiple seasons of hard work, not just one game. We are excited to see where their continued hard work and dedication leads them.”
Congratulations to the Jefferson Davis Academy Raiders softball team on winning the 2024 SCISA 1-A State Championship! Best wishes to the two seniors leaving for a great future and we look to watch this team battle to make it back for another shot at the championship next year! Great job, Raiders!
