Despite MS diagnosis, East Coweta pitcher is among nation’s top prospects

In the ninth grade, Jada Savage was handed a diagnosis — multiple sclerosis — that could have derailed her lofty softball aspirations.

It was a gut punch for Savage, now a senior at East Coweta High School. MS is an autoimmune disease that damages the protective covering of nerves and can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, balance issues and vision problems. It can easily wreck a young athlete’s career.

But Savage had a goal to play Division I softball and was determined to do whatever it took to manage the disease and continue to play at the highest level. She attacked the disease with an intelligent management approach and has emerged as one of the top fast-pitch softball players in the state.

Earlier this year, she committed to playing at Ole Miss.

“When I found out, I had to sit down with my mom and really think about what I wanted to do and if I was going to continue,” Savage said. “She told me, it’s not going to be easy, but nothing in life is ever easy. I was like, you know what, I want to do this to be able to prove to myself and to the doctors who told me I wouldn’t be able to play that I could do it.”

The softball gene runs in her family. Her mother, Janice, played at Georgia Southern and played professionally. She currently is the head coach at South Georgia College after stints at Delaware State and Appalachian State.

Savage, who lost 10% of her vision in the right eye at the onset of the disease, has learned how to manage the condition, particularly when the weather is hot and leaves her more susceptible to fatigue and exhaustion. Coach Franklin DeLoach keeps a close eye on Savage, particularly early in the season.

“If you or I get the sniffles, you brush it off and push through it,” DeLoach said. “But something like that could send her to the hospital.”

The diagnosis hasn’t slowed Savage, who was named a 2024-25 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. She went 27-1 with a 0.61 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 148.2 innings, holding opponents to a .121 batting average. She threw six no-hitters and 18 shutouts. She also batted .490 with 45 RBIs in helping the Indians to a 37-1 record and the Class 6A championship.

This season, she’s picked up where she left off. East Coweta won its first 12 games, during which Savage went 8-0 with one save and a 0.78 ERA. In 36 innings, she had 68 strikeouts and only four walks. She is also batting .536 with four doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs.

She is ranked the No. 28 prospect nationally in her class by Perfect Game.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to not overuse her,” DeLoach said. “We’re pitching her, but we’re not trying to wear her out.”

That’s because when the big prize is on the line, DeLoach knows it will take a claw hammer to pry her out of the game.

A year ago, the Indians were playing for the state softball championship in Columbus, and they faced a winner-take-all game with Buford in the final. Savage was determined she was going to pitch, even though she had worked the first game.

“I can remember begging coach DeLoach to let me throw the last game at state,” she said. “You just got to go. There’s no thinking about whether it’s right or wrong or if it hurts or not. You’ve just got to go and tell him you’re OK.”

DeLoach agreed and, despite the unseasonably warm weather, penciled her name in the lineup. East Coweta beat Buford 4-3, ending the Wolves’ streak of two consecutive titles and giving the Indians their first title since 2020.

Opponents have a hard time catching up with Savage’s fastball, which has been clocked in the upper 60s — the equivalent of an upper 90s fastball in baseball.