by Mark Turner
White County News
A
new era in softball at White County High School is underway as the Lady Warriors are now preparing for the 2025 season.
After a tremendous 10-year run under Drew Owens, the softball program kicked off summer preparations at the start of June under the direction of new head coach Cari Barrett.
“Things are going great,” Barrett said before the start of Wednesday's practice. “Since tryouts, the girls have been great. At the kid's camp last week, I put them in charge and they really showed out. That showed not only their talent and skill, but also the leadership in this group. We've gone in hot, getting in the weight room, getting on the field. I'm really excited.”
Barrett and the team will continue to hold daily workouts, including strength and conditioning work as well as on the field work, through the end of the month before the GHSA shuts things down for dead week on June 30.
Following a week off, things pick back up for the Lady Warriors in July, with more weight room sessions and team workouts.
The Lady Warriors will summer games with Rabun County and Gilmer later in the month, before taking on Cherokee Bluff on July 31 in a preseason scrimmage. WCHS will kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 5, taking on Forsyth Central in Cleveland, and then will play two games in Cartersville on Aug. 9.
The Lady Warriors' 6-AAA opener is Aug. 12 at Dawson County, which is the first of three road games, with the region home opener on Aug. 21 against Chestatee.
With the start of the season less than two months away, Barrett is working daily to help the players transition to her vision for the program and her coaching style.
“I don't think the girls are completely adapted yet, with it still being brand new,” Barrett said. “I'm still trying to feel it out. Getting to know the girls, seeing what they are used to doing and how we can make it better. Drew built a great program and I'm just trying to continue that and also find ways to make it better.”
Barrett and the team is trying maximize every opportunity to get better this summer. The team holds 90-minute weight room sessions twice a week at 5:30 a.m, and is then is on the field or in the hitting facility four times a week. Barrett is also holding Saturday practice sessions for players who aren't playing ball.
Barrett said one of the biggest things she's emphasizing is getting used to the work load.
“We've got to get into the the routine; June is crazy,” Barrett said. “Being in the routine of getting in the weight room and putting in work there. We always talk about we practice like we play, so we expect 100 percent effort whether we're in the weight room, on the field, or in the hitting facility. That's the biggest thing. “We'll do a lot of individual, small group kind of stuff in June and then we'll hit it hard in July.We've got some summer games lined up in July, and that will be the time when we see what it's going to look like. We've got to see who's going to be in the lineup. With this group, I think it's going to be hard with the girls we have to pick who's going to be on the field to start so I'm really excited.”
Barrett inherited an experienced and talented roster, with seniors Logan Fain, Tyla Nix, Maddie Kate Hall and Cierra Bailey leading the way.
“Most of the girls know each other, but I'm trying to get to know them,” Barrett said. “That's a big thing for me. Not just getting to know them as team, but also on an individual level. I kind of learned when I played there are always small groups or cliques that play together, and on this team, you can definitely tell who the seniors are with the way they lead things. But it's really awesome that this group of girls are really cohesive, and there aren't a lot of cliques. We have really good energy and really good chemistry, so I think it's going to be awesome.”