Cobb slow-pitch advocates start own league

By MICHAEL CARVELL

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Slow-pitch softball, which was abandoned as a GHSA-sanctioned sport after last season, is making a comeback.

Several Cobb softball organizations have joined forces to create a league of their own. More than 120 girls have signed up to play for 10 club teams, with each roster consisting of classmates to retain “school spirit.” The season-opening games were held Tuesday night.

“I’m so glad they are doing this for the kids,” said Neal Cleaton, who coaches the Walton/Pope squad with players from both schools.

“The most important thing is to make sure the girls have a place to play as long as we have girls who want to participate in slow pitch. It’s our duty as parents to find places and organizations to make it happen.”

The Sandy Plains Softball Association talked to counterparts at West Cobb and Kennesaw after hearing from former slow-pitch players and their parents. They wanted slow-pitch to live on, in some form or manner.

“We had slow-pitch for just about forever in Cobb, and then it was gone,” said Greg Viland, the Sandy Plains president. “All of sudden, there was nowhere for these girls to go if they wanted to continue playing slow-pitch. We did something about it.”

Brianne Stover, a sophomore at Sprayberry, had just about given up on the sport until she got an e-mail informing her about the new league. Stover marches with the school band every day after school, but still makes time for softball.

“I love slow-pitch, I missed it, and I’m glad I get to play again,” Stover said. “I think a lot more girls will want to play once word spreads, and hopefully it will be back in the high schools before I graduate.”

Slow-pitch was once one of the most popular school sports for girls, with state championships held from 1981 until last year. Its demise began when many players switched over to fast-pitch softball around a decade ago to earn college scholarships. Budget cuts finally struck out the dwindling sport last year.

“We have a rule that says you can’t have a championship sport if there are not 16 teams playing it,” explained Ralph Swearngin, the Georgia High School Association’s executive director.

“There were less than 16 for a year or two, and then we had Cobb County say they weren’t going to have funds for it. We basically had only a team or two left, therefore it disbanded.”

Returning it to the high schools is one of the long-term goals of Viland and other organizers. What is his timetable? “Three years, but I know I’m an optimist.

“It all depends on how things develop ... If we can go back to the state in three years and say ‘Listen, we’ve got all these girls and all these teams that already represent your high schools as club teams — everything is already organized.’ Then we can pass the ball back to them.”

However, Swearngin said it is tough for him to imagine any new sport being added to the GHSA in the near future because of budget concerns. Viland knows it will likely be a slow journey, therefore is focusing primarily on the logistics of the club league.