MOULTRIE — After celebrating graduation on Saturday with the four seniors of the 2021 Colquitt County softball team, the 2022 Lady Packers will enjoy the GHSA “dead week” before beginning preparation for next season on Monday, June 6.

There are high expectations for this year’s Lady Packers.

The 2021 club advanced to the Final Eight and nine of those Lady Packers are back to see if they can go even further.

This year’s Lady Packers will include veterans Emily Allegood, Madison Plymel, Maris Hopper, Laura Hailey Bryan, Morgan Holder, Julia Duncan, Carli Pearson, Amber Brown and Jacey Wetherington.

The rookies will be RaJayla McBride, Libby Wetherington, Shyanne Harp and Jayden Sullvan.

Allegood is the reigning Region 1-7A Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year.

The team will practice June 6-7 before playing in a tournament in Thomasville on June 8-9.

Colquitt also will play host to its annual Vereen tournament on June 21-22.

Following a two-week break, practice will begin again on July 11 in preparation for the preseason scrimmage at Fitzgerald on Aug. 2 and the season-opener on Aug. 9 at Packer Park against now-non Region 1-7A opponent Tift County.

The 2022 schedule features two trips to the Atlanta area for tournaments. The first will be the Buc Bash on Aug. 26-27. Colquitt will play four games over the two days.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, Colquitt will travel to play two games in the Grayson High tournament.

With Region 1-7A expanding this year to five teams, there will be no region tournament and each team will play the other four in two-day, three-game series.

Colquitt will open region play on Tuesday, Aug. 30, with a home game against Valdosta, which has rejoined the region this year. Two days later, Colquitt will go to Valdosta for a region doubleheader.

The Packers will also play single games at home and doubleheaders on the road against Camden County and Lowndes.

Colquitt will make the 200-mile trip to Richmond Hill, the region’s other new member, for a single game on Oct. 4 and will host a doubleheader on Oct. 6.

The postseason also will be different this year.

Teams that qualify will play in Super Regional competition with the top eight qualifying for the Elite Eight competition in Columbus.

Colquitt County is on the best three-year run since it began playing fast-pitch softball in 2001.

The Lady Packers are 69-24 over that stretch, beginning with a 26-7 record in 2019. After going 18-12 in the 2020, the Lady Packers went 25-5 last season and reached the state tournament in Columbus for the second time in three years.

Chance Pitts, who is starting his seventh season as the Lady Packers head coach, can reach a milestone this year.

With nine more wins, he will hold the Colquitt County record for most career wins.

He is currently 111-70. Carman Phillips holds the school record, going 119-116-2 from 2005-2012.