BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
To say the Union County High School softball team’s senior class is good is an understatement, as proved by the fact that six of the seven seniors were seated on the stage in the school’s auditorium on March 1, signing their letters of intent to play in college.
“I think it’s just a very good feeling, seeing everyone I’ve grown up with get to go to the next level and do what they love,” said Hayley Burke, who was one of the signees, along with Leah Clark, Hailey Rivera, Hannah Rivera, Angela Tucker and Tamia Young.
Head Coach Jim Godwin certainly enjoys the fact that he has six players in one class getting the chance to play in college, saying, “It’s great for me because I get to coach them.”
Godwin said the signing ceremony was proof of more than just the talent level of the players. A lot of coaches will tell you it’s not always easy to have so many talented players on one team, but Godwin has had no trouble with this year’s senior group.
“I’ve never seen a group of classmates get along as well as these do,” he said. “The reason why they’ve been so successful is because they do get along.”
Lifelong friends Tucker, Young going to UWG together
Tucker and Young will be attending the University of West Georgia, which is a Division II school in Carrollton.
“I’m excited. I love softball,” said Tucker, an outfielder who bats second in the order. She added, “I’m just so blessed to be able to go play at the next level.”
Young, who plays catcher and bats leadoff, said, “I’m super excited to take it to the next level. I’ve always wanted to play softball at the next level. I’m just happy I can.”
Both players love the fact they get to go to West Georgia together, continuing what has been a lifelong association.
“Angela and I have been friends since (we were in) diapers,” Young said. “We’ve grown up playing softball together.”
Tucker, who’ll be rooming with Young, said, “I’m excited. She’s the best. I absolutely love her. She’s like my sister.”
Both players plan to study nursing and said that’s one reason why West Georgia was the right pick for them.
“The nursing program is really good,” Tucker said. “That’s what really led me to want to go there.”
The school’s atmosphere was an appeal as well, with Young saying, “Everyone is so welcoming.”
Young also already had a relationship with Head Coach Kristy Burton.
“I’ve known her since my ninth-grade year,” Young said. “We’ve built that bond.”
Tucker is coming off a junior season in which she led the team with a .493 batting average — a significant increase from her sophomore year, when she batted .274.
Godwin said he saw the potential in Tucker when she was a freshman.
“I said her junior year would be her coming-out year, and it happened,” he said.
Tucker hit two doubles and two triples her junior year, driving in 21 runs and stealing 13 bases.
Godwin anticipates Tucker hitting with more power this season, saying, “Since the fall, we’ve been working on her straight swing. She’s going to hit some balls out of the park this year.
As for her play in the outfield, Godwin said, “She runs down balls in center field that shouldn’t get caught.”
What the coach especially likes is that Tucker plays with all-out effort, no matter what the scores is. The Tigers were losing to Trenton this season by a score of 8-1, but that didn’t stop Tucker from laying out to make a catch.
“She easily could’ve just went to the wall, gotten the ball and thrown it in,” Godwin said. “She got on her belly for the team.”
Tucker believes she’ll have to improve the most in her hitting when she tries to make it at the collegiate level, which she said will be a huge adjustment, no matter what facet of the game you’re talking about.
She’s ready to compete, saying, “I’m excited to work hard and earn my spot.”
And when she steps onto the field for the first time as a West Georgia player, Tucker said it’ll be “crazy.”
“It’s going to be a lot taking it all in,” she said. “I’m going to enjoy it — enjoy every second of it.”
Young is coming off a junior season in which she was second in batting average at .433, while hitting eight doubles and two triples and driving in 24 runs. She had 21 stolen bases.
As a sophomore, she batted .4-3 with three doubles, three triples, two home runs and 26 RBI. She stole 17 bases.
“She’s our team leader. She plays at a high level,” Godwin said, adding, “She plays every inning like it’s her last.”
Godwin said Young has grown into where she’s playing like she’s already at the next level. He can’t wait to see what she does at West Georgia.
“I’m eager to see just how far she can go,” Godwin said.
One of the things Godwin likes the most about Young is her speed. It doesn’t take much contact for her to be able to reach base. Once on, of course, she’s a threat to steal a base or multiple bases.
Godwin said Young, like Tucker, will add a little more to her game this year when it comes to batting.
“She’s going to hit some out of the park for us this year,” Godwin said. “Anytime you have somebody lead off who can hit it out of the park, bunt it to reach and then steal a base — she’s just a triple threat at this point.”
Young said she thinks the biggest adjustment she’ll have to make in college is getting used to the fact that everything’s different — the overall talent level, the speed, the teams she’ll play against and the crowds.
No matter how different it is, it’s what Young has been hoping for and working toward. When she steps onto the field for the first time as a college player, she said, “It’s going to feel like a dream come true.”
A dream come true is giving West Georgia a player any program would love to have.
“She’s just everything you want in a kid on your team,” Godwin said.
Resurrected program to get Burke, Rivera twins
Burke, Hailey Rivera and Hannah Rivera will be part of ushering in a new era at Lake City’s Florida Gateway College, which last fielded a softball team 15 years ago.
The revived program will begin play in 2023-24.
“It’s really awesome because it’s kind of like a new sport on campus,” Hannah Rivera said. “Everybody’s excited about it.”
Burke said, “It’s very exciting. I’ve seen the field. It’s almost done. They’ve made a lot of improvements.
“I’m ready to play already.”
Burke likes the fact she’ll be playing college ball close to home.
Of course, she loves the fact that the Rivera sisters will be there as well.
It’s very exciting to get to play with my friends who I’ve played travel ball and high school ball with for the last three years,” Burke said. “We’ve shared a lot of memories together. Continuing that will be a great feeling.”
Burke, who plays in the outfield, is coming off a season in which she batted .255. She had one extra-base hit that season and two the previous year. Godwin believes she can improve those numbers this year.
“She has power,” he said. “We’re working on that. She’s starting to see the ball a little bit now.
“I expect a lot of good things from her this year.”
Union Assistant Coach Travis Smith remembers the first time he saw Burke play in a varsity game. She had been brought up from junior varsity for some reason and made two impact plays, one of which was making a play on a fly ball that “most starting left fielders wouldn’t make.”
What Smith likes the most about Burke is her attitude, which he knows well since he works primarily with the team’s outfielders.
“She shows up with a good attitude,” Smith said, adding, “The grind over the year can take a toll on you, but being around someone who keeps it as light and as fun as Hayley is always a great time.”
Burke admitted it was hard to put into words when asked what she thinks it’ll feel like when she steps onto the field for the first time at Florida Gateway College.
“I can’t describe it,” she said. “I don’t know. I’m just excited.”
Hailey Rivera said she is excited, of course, about the chance to continue playing softball, but admitted she’s also nervous about the prospect of moving on from high school.
That nervousness doesn’t mean she isn’t looking forward to it.
“I’m ready to start this chapter,” she said. “I’m ready to start playing in college.”
What adds to the excitement level for her and her twin sister, Hannah, is that they get to play college ball together.
“It’s very special,” Hailey said. “I feel very blessed that I get to play with her.”
Hannah said, “I’m really excited about going to the next level with my sister. She’s one of my biggest supporters.”
The thought of taking the opportunity to go their separate ways never crossed their minds.
“Ever since we started softball, we knew if we got a scholarship, it was going to be together,” Hannah said. “We’re best friends. We’re always right there together.”
Hailey said, “We had to be at the same college.”
The sisters, who currently play the corners in the infield, began playing at the age of 8. Hailey, who batted .317 as a junior and was second on the team with 26 RBI, said, “Our dad did it. Our mom did it. We were just interested in it. Once we started playing, we found joy. We really like playing with each other.”
Hannah, who batted .245 with eight RBI last season, said, “Ever since then, I was like, ‘I’m going to go to college.’ I’ve finally the opportunity. It’s just one of the best feelings.”
Smith said it’s obvious to see how passionate the sisters are about the sport by watching them.
“They come out, and they work hard,” he said. “They do things the right way. I’ve seen them have balls taken off the shin, shoulder, chest and maybe even the mouth once or twice, but they never shy away from it. They’re tough. They play hard.
“They’re always doing it, for the most part, with a smile on their face. It’s always great to see people enjoy the game.”
Godwin said he wasn’t sure how the sisters would mesh with the rest of the team when they transferred from Gainesville, but he said they fit right in. He said all of his seniors are ”great friends.”
Hailey said to make a successful transition to playing at the next level, she needs to be smart when making plays and to work hard and challenge herself to do her best. Hannah said she wants to focus on her hitting, saying it “just needs to be on a high level.”
As to what it’ll be like to be on the field for the first time at Florida Gateway, Hailey said, “I’m going to be really excited. I’ll feel like I made it. My dream has come true. I’m playing on a college field. It’s going to be very exciting.”
Hannah said, “I’ll be really nervous because it’ll be a different atmosphere, a different feeling. The coach is going to be different, but I’m also very excited about it. It’s going to be like a new chapter.”
In the end, Clark couldn’t turn back on playing softball
Clark told Godwin a couple of years ago that she didn’t want to play softball in college. However, the more she thought about it, the more she knew that she couldn’t walk away from the sport after high school.
“Softball’s always been 24/7 for me, so there was a time where I was going to hang it up,” Clark said, “but I came to the realization that I didn’t know what I was going to do without softball. I knew I was going to play in college. I wasn’t going to hang it up just yet.”
Now, she couldn’t be happier that she’s got the chance to play for the College of Central Florida.
“It’s a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl,” Clark said. “I always wanted to play college softball.”
Clark likes the fact she’s going to a school close to home. She also likes the coaches at Central Florida and the fact that even though it’s a junior college program, it’s a high-level program. Central Florida won the FCSAA State/NJCAA South Atlantic District A championship last year to advance to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament.
“The softball there is very good” Clark said.
The shortstop is coming off a junior year in which she was third on the team with a .397 batting average. She led the team in RBI (33) and triples (5) and hit six doubles and one home run. She had 16 stolen bases.
Clark led the team in batting average during her COVID-shortened freshman season at .529 and led the team again as a sophomore with a .541 average. She led the team as a sophomore in RBI (26), doubles (6), triples (5), home runs (3) and stolen bases (31).
It didn’t take long for Clark to impress Godwin, who said, “As a ninth-grader, she was the most fundamentally sound infielder I’ve seen. Now, she’s a senior. She’s only gotten better.”
Godwin said he and his staff, like with Tucker and Young, have been working with Clark on increasing her power at the plate. If a recent batting practice is any indication, the work is paying off as she hit 22 balls over the fence.
“She’s going to hit a lot of home runs for us this year,” Godwin said.
Hitting is something Clark said she wants to continue to work on when she gets to Central Florida. She expects to face a high level of pitching.
As for whether or not she wants to keep playing after two years at the junior college level, she said, “We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know yet.” All she knows is she made the decision to keep playing immediately after high school and is looking forward to the opportunity.
“I think it’s going to be emotional,” Clark said of taking to the field for the first time as a college player, “but I’m excited for the next level.”
Godwin believes the Central Florida Patriots should be excited, too.
“I’m not lying when I say they stole a Division I player,” he said.
