Top 10 2028 Performers From Georgia States

In most states, softball is competed as a spring sport. A select few have it as a fall sport. Georgia is one of those states and eyes of Peach State sports fans were fixated on Columbus as champions were crowned over the weekend.   The South Commons Softball Complex – originally constructed as part of the Atlanta 1996 Olympics – welcomed this year's field of 64 – eight teams for each of the eight Georgia High School Association (GHSA) classifications.    We at Prep Softball were on hand for this year's festivities. We spotlighted <a href="https://prepsoftball.com/2025/11/04/top-10-2027-performers-from-georgia-states/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">some of the top 2027s from this past weekend</a> and now turn our focus to sophomores who shined at states.    For any team matching up against Hebron Christian, a key to victory is mustering offense against the Lions' sophomore ace in the circle. Doing so is easier said than done, as [player_tooltip player_id='145174' first='Kate' last='Kennedy'] showcased throughout this year's states. Hebron Christian finished as Private School runners-up in large part thanks to Kennedy's arm. Even though the Lions' offense got much of the recognition for their 13-0 rout of Mount Vernon, the zero was every bit as important as the 13. Kennedy tossed a six-inning, no-hitter in which she struck out nine. She also struck out 12 batters in Hebron Christian's 11-8 victory over Providence Christian. On Friday against Wesleyan, Kennedy did not make things easy on her team's bats, as she held the Wolves to only two runs.     Being reclassified from 6A to 5A has worked wonders for Creekview. Two seasons competing in the 5A ranks, two state championships. The Grizzlies prevailed over South Effingham by a final score of 11-3 in the 5A championship game. Caroline Schultz had one of the big hits of the day. Taking advantage of the 3-1 count she had, Schultz lofted a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to increase a 5-3 Grizzlies advantage to an 8-3 tally. She also proved to be one of the catalysts of the powerful Creekview offense in an earlier contest against Veterans – her RBI double in the top of the seventh made it a 7-4 game. The Grizzlies prevailed in that contest with the final being 12-4.     Molly Corvin's Heritage program had won five state softball championships prior to this past weekend. The Generals were looking to make it six. The 3A bracket came down to Heritage and Cherokee Bluff. A pitcher's duel ensued with both teams knotted at one apiece and needing nine innings to settle it. With a runner at second, Corvin's walk-off RBI single won it for the Generals. Corvin was a tough out all game as the Heritage infielder had two previous singles prior to that game-winner. She also had a single and an RBI that contributed to a 3-1 victory on Thursday over West Laurens.     Wesleyan has become very good at this winning state championships thing. The Wolves won state in 2017, 2018 and every year from 2021-24 prior to this past weekend. Rhiyan Fairman's bat ensured Wesleyan would have more state hardware to add to its trophy case. The Wolves prevailed over Hebron Christian by a final score of 9-1 in five innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Fairman's three-RBI double with two outs not only made another Wolves state win more clear, but it also got Wesleyan thinking about a run-rule. Fairman also made the difference earlier in the tournament in a contest against a tough Prince Avenue Christian team. The Wolves defeated the Wolverines by a final of 4-2, and the difference was a three-run home run in the top of the eighth.     Speaking of tough outs on Wesleyan, Siena Myers also fit that description throughout championship weekend. Myers reached base on three occasions in that Private School championship tilt with Hebron Christian – once via a hit-by-pitch, once with a single and once with a solo home run in the bottom of the third that upped the Wolves' advantage to 4-0. The day before, the Wolves prevailed over the Lions again, but Friday's contest was more of a pitchers' duel as evidenced by the 2-0 result. One of those runs was courtesy of Myers as she drilled another solo home run – also in the bottom of the third.     Ansley Hartman's Eastside team ran the gauntlet on championship Sunday, needing three victories to win state for the first time since the school finished its reconstruction in 2022. The third of those three wins was what won the 4A tournament for the Eagles – and Kell (its opponent in the 4A state game) had a hard time getting Hartman out. Hartman contributed three singles and two RBIs to the Eastside cause. She may have saved her best for last this past weekend in Columbus, but Hartman also contributed a pair of singles and scored a run in a 4-1 victory on Thursday over Harris County.     East Coweta entered the season – and the weekend in Columbus – as the defending 6A champions. Payton Wilson's team departed from the South Commons Softball Complex as runners-up this time, but Wilson still had herself a stellar weekend at states. Wilson had the lone hit in East Coweta's 6A championship contest with the undefeated juggernaut that is Buford. Much of Wednesday's slate was moved to Thursday due to inclement weather but one of the games that did take place that day featured East Coweta and Archer. East Coweta won by a final of 8-2 and Wilson contributed two hits, four RBIs and a run scored to her team's efforts.     Founded in 2010 and first competing in softball in 2012, Veterans was in search of its first softball state championship in the relatively young history of the school. The Warhawks may have come up a mere two wins shy of its goal, but Bella Fendley did everything she could to ensure Veterans would be one of the last four 5A teams standing. She contributed three of the Warhawks' 12 hits and scored a run in Veterans' semifinal matchup against South Effingham. Fendley also had two more hits, scored another run and was hit by a pitch in the Warhawks' 6-3 win over Lassiter. She plated two runs, touched home plate once and contributed a hit in an 8-2 win over Loganville.     Odd-numbered years have been kind to Appling County – the Pirates were 3A state champions in 2021 and 2A state winners in 2023. This season's Appling County team made a run to the semifinals in large part thanks to Hadley Johnson's heroics. The Pirates' time in Columbus commenced with a pitchers' duel that resulted in a 3-0 victory for Appling County. Johnson tossed a complete game and struck out seven. That set the tone for the Pirates, where its pitching staff only allowed one run through the first couple of games. Johnson also contributed two of Appling County's five hits in its semifinal contest with Morgan County.     Two years after Prince Avenue Christian won a 1A Division 1 state championship, Riley Reeder and her Wolverines were looking for similar success in the Private School bracket. Prince Avenue Christian advanced to the semifinals in large part because of Reeder. That semifinal matchup was a slugfest with Hebron Christian – one where Reeder put her team in position to score by drawing three walks. She also scored a run. Reeder drew two more walks, scored a run and drove in another in a 9-4 win over North Cobb. She was an especially tough out for Mount Vernon on Halloween, as she went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run.

In most states, softball is competed as a spring sport. A select few have it as a fall sport. Georgia is one of those states and eyes of Peach State sports fans were fixated on Columbus as champions were crowned over the weekend.