A Season of Perseverance: How the Varsity Softball Warriors Embraced the Grit Mentality

Brandon French
Brookwood Varsity Softball’s 2024 team has risen to the challenge of setting itself apart from the competition. Coaches Christa Boggs and Jessie Miller credit their rising success to hard work, adaptability, and a spirit of grit and determination. Brookwood School has adopted Grit as its school slogan for the ‘24-’25 school year to demonstrate its commitment to hard work and integrity.

Offense and Precision:
Coach Boggs narrows down the team’s success to two critical elements: offense and pitching. In a breakdown of the athlete's contributions to the team, Boggs always comes back to how determined her players are in overcoming challenges. Boggs begins, “Audrey Harrison ‘26 has been reassigned to first base. Although we were sad to lose her experience on the mound, she is a tremendous first baseman and has been dangerous on offense.” It is in this flexibility and adjustment that the Warriors found their strength in adversity. Pitchers Ava Bodell ‘27 and Josey Hollifield ‘28 devoted tremendous effort in the pre-season to hone their precision and accuracy as starting pitchers. This precision has paid off in a remarkable way: a seven-run per game average.

The team continues to evolve and adjust to new challenges. Coach Miller attributes this success to the team’s leadership, saying, “Coach Boggs has done a great job of strategically placing girls where they can have the most success and have a positive impact on the team.” Pitching changes, batting order, and defensive positions have all been adjusted to keep the team competitive and energized.

An Energized Season:
This energy was in full swing at Tuesday’s game against Region competitor Valwood. Coach Miller recalls, “Down by six runs in the bottom of the seventh, and literally every girl on the team had a positive impact of some sort during that half inning. Whether it was a long battle at the plate, 3-RBI game tying triple, or putting the ball in play with two strikes to walk it off. So many special moments from [that] night that I hope our girls carry with them throughout the ups and downs of the season.” It is this continued growth that is at the heart of the Warriors’ journey.

The foundation of this growth begins at practice according to Coach Boggs. She emphasizes the importance of “mastering the mundane”. This leads to a type of creative practice where the players react to new situations while maintaining control over their fundamentals. Younger players, 8th and 9th graders, have stepped up to the plate to demonstrate how capable they are playing at the Varsity level. Despite the limitations typically associated with a younger team, Coach Miller notes, “We have to get our younger players as many game time reps as possible early in season, and work through the growing pains, so they can be successful when it matters most.” It is in these challenges that Coach Boggs sees the enthusiasm and energy of the team come alive in celebrating hard won victories.
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Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.