Emanuel County Institute’s varsity softball team held a skills camp a few weeks ago, drawing local players to the school field on Parrish Pond Road for the four-day event.
Starting July 12 and running through July 15 from 9 a.m. to noon each day, the varsity Lady Dawgs worked on all facets of the game with the 23 attending younger players.
In addition to this year’s roster, a handful of notable players were on hand in Twin City to help with instruction. Head coach Frank Wimberly arranged for Sarah Smith, a former Division I pitcher who played at Radford University, to attend and work with pitchers. Wimberly also enlisted the help of Jada Downer, a three-time all-state Lady Dawg, and Taylor Radford, another ECI product who is to suit up for Brewton-Parker College later this fall.
“We’ve got a lot of softball enthusiasm in our community,” Wimberly said about the turnout and overall success of the 2021 camp. “We felt this would be a great way to interact and help build on that so that softball continues to grow in Emanuel County.”
The Lady Dawgs have been hard at work this summer, gearing up for their first game, which will be this Friday against Southeast Bulloch at the Tattnall County Warrior Blast Tournament. Look for a more comprehensive piece on fall sports for all area schools in an upcoming edition of The Chronicle.