Tiftarea names softball coach

Published 9:00 am Sunday, March 10, 2019

CHULA, Ga. — The Tiftarea Academy Panthers have a new softball coach. Fortunately, it won’t take the new guy long to get acclimated.

Chance Benson recently took the position. He is currently Tiftarea’s baseball head coach and an assistant football coach.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” said Benson. He takes over from Joe Barkman, who guided the team to multiple state tournament appearances. Tiftarea went to the elite eight in 2015 and 2016.

Benson is seemingly already counting down the days for the 2019 season.

“We return a lot of potential,” he said. Currently, the Panthers are slated to have only two seniors on the roster, Sara-Kate Lupo and Morgan McKay.

Multiple eighth graders started last year for Tiftarea, which advanced to the first round of the GISA Class AAA state tournament. There, it lost by two runs and three runs to Bulloch Academy, which ultimately finished second in the state.

Those returnees include Elli Bryan, Ali Strenth, Madi Hartsfield, Laura Ann Jones, Anslee Jones, Sara Beth Royal and Madi Hartsfield. He will also have McKenna McCard back in the lineup after missing the entire 2018 season with an injury. Those coming up from the middle school roster include Pyper McCard.

Lupo was an All-State pick last season and has been named All-Region four times. Bryan and Laura Ann Jones were 2018 All-Region selections. McKenna McCard, who will be a junior, was All-Region as a freshman.

Benson is already working on a schedule. He said he has a preseason tournament arranged and is reaching out to area schools for games. Like last year, the Panthers are in Region 4-AAA for softball. Since Region 4-AAA is limited to only two other teams — John Milledge Academy and Westfield, the latter being 2018’s state champion — Tiftarea has many games to fill. Benson said the Panthers will be playing their former region mates in 3-AAA, Brookwood School, Deerfield-Windsor, Southland Academy and Valwood.