Tri-County softball finishes third in the state

The Tri-County Academy softball team was on a quest for their fifth state title in school history this season and while they were one of the final three teams in the MAIS 4A state softball tournament, they fell just short of the state championship series with a loss to Marshall Academy on Monday.

Tri-County only had three seniors on the roster this season and were still able to win the MAIS 4A South State tournament and were one win away from playing in the overall state championship series. 

“It’s been a great year, we fought through a lot of adversity being so young,” Tri-County Academy Head Coach Michael Shumaker said. “Having all these young players and going to this tournament and winning South State just shows how great of a job of stepping up that they did.”

Even though the Rebels were eliminated there is still plenty for the team and program to be happy about and excited for both now and in the future. 

“The experience these players have gained will be vital for us moving forward,” Shumaker said. “The seniors have been great leaders for us as well and have set the example for our younger players going into the future.”

The Rebels and Coach Shumaker have put a major emphasis on playing as a team this year and that has been a big reason for their success and exceeding their preseason expectations that a lot of people had for them, even with such a young team.

“We really preach that everybody helps everybody and that everybody has to play their role in order to succeed,” Shumaker said. “We’ve gotten behind in a lot of games this year and we’ve fought through and that takes everybody.”

Even with that focus on playing as a team, there were several key players that stepped up for Tri-County consistently throughout the season. 

Freshman Georgia Burgess and sophomore Merritt Jourdan handled a majority of the pitching duties for the Rebels and were also very solid at the plate. Look for this pair to be an important part of the group of leaders and key players for the Tri-County softball program going forward.

Tri-County softball has plenty to look forward to in the future and should compete for state titles in the years to come.