From humble beginnings at the Chesnee Community Center to a newly renovated stadium on the campus of Chesnee High School, Chesnee softball kicked off its 30th season on Monday evening.
"It's wonderful," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "It was great to have all the former players and coaches come back. The other coaches have done a great job of helping build the program to this point, and it was great we could honor them." Former players and coaches flooded the field in a pregame ceremony that saw the original Chesnee softball Coach Chris Vassey throw out the first pitch. Vassey said he is proud of the foundation that first team help build. "I was amazed when I came back and seen all the girls from that first year," said Vassey. "We had eighteen girls on the team and played ten games. We didn't win a game that first season, but those girls stuck with it, and a few years later we nearly won a district championship." Another key moment for Chesnee softball came in 2002 when the JV program was started. "The development of the JV program was a big moment for Chesnee," said Chelsea Ridings, a member of the original JV squad. "I was in middle school at the time, and it gave me experience at the high school level I otherwise wouldn't have gotten." This proved pivotal as just a few years later Chesnee defeated Walhalla to win the school's first district championship in the playoffs. That 2007 squad featured several players including Ridings from that original JV squad. "To win the first District Title in school history was an amazing accomplishment," said Ridings. "I'm proud to see where this program has gone since we graduated." Another big accomplishment came in 2015 when the team won its first region championship and a team that Ashley Westbrooks was a key member of that squad. "It's very exciting to see this program take off," said Westbrooks. "This program wasn't always as successful as the team is now. Now they go into every game confident and that all started with that first region title." Westbrooks has a different perspective than other former players as she is the only former Eagle player to currently be on staff as an assistant. "To be able to come back and coach at a program I poured so much into is something I'm very proud of, and some I take great pride in." said Westbrooks. Chesnee has experienced a tremendous amount of success in the last two seasons as they have won back-to-back region championships, a district title, and came within a game of the state championship series. Chesnee has come a long way from the early days at the community center, and team number thirty hopes to continue that upward trajectory. "We had a vision when we started the program, and this is a vision realized," said Vassey. "When I left, they had just built the field, the grass hadn't even come in yet. I'm proud of what it has become." As far as the game that followed Chesnee softball kicked of the program's thirtieth season in a familiar manner as Maddie Handy threw another dandy in the circle along with solid defense and timely hitting allowed the Eagles to pull out the 3-1 win over the rivals Woodruff Wolverines. "It feels good to get the first win at home," said Chesnee shortstop Jada Sellars. "I love it." "I'm happy for our girls," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle about the win. "We wanted to played well for all the alumni and former coaches that were here. We are very proud of what the people before us have built." Handy got off to a fast start as she struck out five batters thru the first two innings and that momentum allowed her to strike out eight while allowing one run in a complete game. "Those early strikeouts helped me settle in," said Handy. "It got the momentum rolling and allowed us to turn the game over to our offense." The lone run Handy allowed came in the top of the fourth on a RBI single from Corey Fortner. "You don't have to press to score runs," said Fogle. "We left some runs out there, but when your solid in the circle and defensively, you don't have to stress about it as much." The Eagles offense got rolling in the bottom of the second inning as Bixley Koon picked up the first of her three hits with a leadoff single while Skylar Barrett followed with a single of her own. They each worked themselves into scoring position as Koon scored on a RBI groundout by Harley Grady while Barrett scored on a wild pitch. Koon used her speed again in the fourth inning as she got another leadoff single and stole a pair bases to score on a RBI single from Harley Grady "It feels great in the circle when your offense has your back," said Handy. "They gave me a early lead and got the run right back after I allowed one in the fourth inning." Handy and Jada Sellars joined Koon with multiple hits as each had a pair of singles. Chesnee will be back in action on Wednesday as they host Blacksburg to kickoff region play with a 7:30 PM first pitch. Comments are closed.
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