MOULTRIE – There are eight teams still playing Class 7A softball in Georgia, and one of those happens to be the “new toy” that will be on display at the Columbus South Commons Complex beginning Thursday.

Usually, when some clubs are making plans for a big push towards the state championship, Chance Pitts has already collected and packed away uniforms at Colquitt County High’s Packer Park. Not this time. No, there’s more use for all the equipment, more planning, more preparation.

Here comes the first-time fast-pitch Elite 8 qualifier and the first-time fast-pitch region champions with aims of laying it all on the line and not settling for just being there.

“The senior class really took initiative setting goals,” said Pitts, in his fourth year as varsity head coach. “Setting small goals, and also larger goals. About every goal they set, we’ve accomplished.”

Yes, the Packer girls wanted a winning record, and they well established that going 26-5. They wanted to finally beat Lowndes after four years, and they went 4-2 against the usually powerful Vikettes.

How about this one?

“Staying perfect at home,” said Pitts. “It’s a feat I don’t know will ever be (matched). This senior class put in on their shoulders about the legacy they are going to leave when they do graduate.”

“It means everything,” said senior shortstop Kelsey Patel about the Elite 8. “This is what we’ve been working for all four years I’ve been here. This year we had the best chance. It’s surreal to get to go to Columbus. So we are going to try to make the best of everything. Since May we’ve been working for this.”

“You can tell by the videos and all the photos how excited we all were,” said junior pitcher Jade Horne. “The intensity in the dugout when (we won region).”

Finally winning the region championship, anything after that could be considered a bonus. Sometimes, the celebration is short lived when a region fourth-place team knocks you out of the state playoffs in the opening round. It has happened, and happened quite a bit.

These Packers, though, took a different approach than, ‘whatever happens happens.’ They wanted that Columbus experience as well, and that desire sent them past Marietta and Norcross in the first two rounds with best-of-3 sweeps.

“Don’t be satisfied with hosting the second round,” said Pitts about his messages. “Don’t be satisfied with making it past the first round. Don’t be satisfied with just going to Columbus. Let’s make some noise. I think a lot of teams are going to overlook us just because we are south of the ‘gnat line.’ I heard through the grapevine a lot of teams are worried about us … don’t know about this Colquitt County team because we’ve never been there. I think we need to take that role. There are only eight teams left, and we’re one of them, one of the eight with a shot at that championship.”

The Packers faced a strong hitting team in Marietta and another strong offensive club in Norcross. It stands to reason – in Columbus – they should see more teams capable of using the bats but also bringing the pitching and defense to compliment it.

“Each round, you have to turn it up a notch,” said Pitts. “(Columbus) is just another notch we have to turn up on the amplifier, keep rolling as a softball team and keep maturing and keep playing the way we have this whole season. I think we have a shot with any team that’s there as long as we keep working hard.”

Was there maturing in that first Norcross game? This was a 0-0 duel down to the last inning. Horne did her part, pitching seven shutout innings, then she saw Katlynn Powers hit a two-out solo home run to win it 1-0.

“I was very frustrated,” said Horne. “Obviously we hadn’t done as great as we had in previous games hitting-wise, but my defense was backing me up. I knew if I could keep hanging on and pushing through eventually they would get a few across for me. I was so happy (to watch Powers’ homer). It’s a feeling you can’t really describe. It’s that instant moment of relief.”

Horne said Norcross had a hard time sitting on her change-up in that game, stating that’s how she got the final out of the top of the seventh on a whiff. She improved to 11-2 for the season, and in 86 2/3 innings she has a 1.78 earned run average and 40 strikeouts to 17 walks.

“That showed the grit and determination of our defense and Jade Horne,” said Pitts. “She never once faltered. Katlynn Powers, just a sophomore, that speaks volumes for her, for this team and the faith I have in any one of the girls I can put in the lineup. It’s been an awesome experience to coach each and every one of them.”

Game 2 was much more to the liking of a fan of scoring, the Packers winning 9-6. Two times Patel hit two-run doubles to give Colquitt County a lead, the second one holding to the end.

“The first one, I was, ‘O.K., I have to do my job. I’m just going to try to put the ball in play, and whatever happens happens,’” she said. “I got a hit and I was so excited. My second at bat, I was, ‘O.K., I’ve already hit this girl. I can do it again. Don’t think about it. Don’t change anything. Get up there, relax and hit the ball.’ It was amazing.”

With those hits, Patel goes to Columbus and the Packer leader in RBI with 29. That’s off of 30 hits. In addition to her plate work, Patel plays a smooth infield that reminds people of another Patel, Gavin, her brother who took his baseball game to Gordon College last spring.

“I try to be as good as he was and leave the impact he did,” said Kelsey. “Everybody knows Gavin Patel from playing baseball, and I hope I can have the same impact on Colquitt County.”

Getting down to what really matters, there’s only one of the seven other 7A teams Colquitt County is concerned about. Grayson High is the first opponent at noon Thursday, and the Rams had to work to get to Columbus after losing the first game of their second-round best-of-3 to Lassiter 3-2. But they threw two shutouts, including Game 3’s effort by Kylie Macy to improve to 27-6.

Last year, it was Grayson that eliminated Lowndes from the Elite 8 1-0. They ran into eventual champion East Coweta at the start losing 2-1 and were eliminated by North Gwinnett 1-0.

“They have a pitcher who is well above average,” said Pitts of Macy, who as a junior is committed to the University of Georgia. “They play a lot of small ball. They have three or four slappers in their lineup, which is going to be a different look for us. Even when they stay in there and hit regular, they can leave the yard. You are going to have to play a perfect game of softball.

“(Small ball) drives a coach crazy to defend it. It’s very tough especially when you have A-plus speed like this Grayson team. With my seasoned infield and catcher, I think the real x-factor is your pitchers. They are not only throwing strikes, they field a spot. With Horne, Kyla Morris and Emily Allegood, that’s another defender, and they’ve made every play on a bunt, slap. That helps. We have that in our girls for sure.”

“They have a lot of left-handed batters,” said Horne. “They probably will slap and bunt a lot. Our defense is good enough we can handle it.”

This is also a different format Colquitt County is facing: double elimination. Win your first game and you are back on the field at 8 p.m.; lose it and you return at noon Friday to begin a two-day battle to stay alive.

So the first game is especially important, and ‘first game’ takes double meaning for the Packers as it is their first game ever in this setting. Pitts would understand if they are awe-struck by it all, the opening ceremonies added on.

“It’s a business trip,” he said. “It’s great to be there, but we came here for a reason, to play for a state championship. If we keep our heads above water, we will be fine.”

“This is one of the best teams I’ve played on,” said Patel. “We have such good chemistry. We love hanging out with each other. There’s not one rotten apple of the group. We even hang out on the weekends when we don’t have to.”

“It’s probably the favorite team I’ve ever been on,” said Horne. “To (get to Columbus) with these girls means a ton.”