The Long County Middle School softball team had a historic 2024 season and it ended with being crowned conference champions. On Monday, October 7, the fall sports seasons officially ended due to several school closings around the area and the undefeated Lady Tide were crowned softball conference champions. 

The Tide were scheduled to face Appling County in the conference championship game, but due to Appling County schools still being closed after Hurricane Helene, the game was canceled. 

With a 15-0 record and as the number one team in the conference, the Lady Tide were crowned conference champions for the first time in team history. 

Head coach Clint Kennedy came into the 2024 season knowing they had a good chance to compete for the championship but said that early wins in the season were the defining moments that let him know they had a chance to do something special. 

“I knew coming into the season we would be a pretty strong team,” Kennedy said. “Once we came out and played a tough Richmond Hill team early on and Wayne County’s A team, I knew we would stack up well against the teams in our conference.”

The team scored 147 runs and also run-ruled all but three opponents on the year. The team’s key victory was a win over the perennial powerhouse Pirates, who had previously won every championship since 2018 and had lost a total of three games during that stretch. 

“Well in all three phases of the game — offensively, defensively, and on the mound — we were pretty solid,” Kennedy said. “I would have to say though that our pitching and offense stood out the most. In the circle we finished the year allowing only 13 runs, with only eight of those being earned runs. We ended the year with 134 strikeouts. Offensively we finished with a team average of .435 and had several girls finish with a batting average over .500.”

One of the main points of middle school sports is to grow and teach the athletes so they are ready if and when they decide to play at the high school level. Kennedy is confident that the eighth graders moving up next year will help his wife’s team be pretty successful. 

“It’s going to be a fun team to watch and to see them grow under Coach Harley Kennedy,” Kennedy said. “The combined growth of the high school team over the past few years and the upcoming eighth graders will make Long County Softball a force over the next few years.”

With a large group of sixth and seventh graders returning for the 2025 season, the Long County Middle School softball team should be pretty excited for the future. But for now, they will celebrate their historic season.