MOULTRIE — Colquitt County female athletes will have the opportunity to compete in another sport next year when the school adds slow pitch softball.

The Georgia High School Association-sanctioned sport will be played in the spring with the earliest date for games set for February 13 and the state championship finals scheduled for April 16-17.

In announcing the addition of the sport, Colquitt County Athletic Director Cleve Edwards said a coach has not yet been named to lead the program.

The Colquitt County Board of Education has a meeting scheduled for June 24 in which the vacant varsity fast pitch softball coaching position is expected to be filled.

A slow pitch coach also could be announced then as well.

The team can play a maximum of 16 games. The regular season will end on April 5.

Last season, 27 schools competed the state’s two sectional tournaments that determined the final eight teams, which met in the state tournament held April 17-18 at the Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock.

Creekside won the championship, defeating Jefferson for the title.

Slow pitch softball has been a GHSA-sanctioned sport since 1981 and has gone through a number of changes over the years.

It was discontinued after the 2008 season, but was revived in 2017.

Colquitt County fielded its first slow pitch team in 1984 and school played the sport through 2000.

The Lady Packers slow pitch team finished third in the state tournament in 1997 and 2000 under Keith Croft, who led the team to a 176-88 record in 10 seasons. He was the team’s head coach in 1990 and from 1992-2000.

Colquitt County has played fast pitch exclusively since 2001 and will continue to play fast pitch in the fall.

Renovations are ongoing at Lady Packer Field that are expected to be completed in time for the fast pitch season that can start as early as Aug. 1.

Edwards said that minor adjustments to the field can be made next spring to accommodate the slow pitch game.

The distance between bases is 60 feet in slow pitch compared to 65 feet for fast pitch.

The distance from the rubber to the plate is 46 feet in slow pitch. It is 50 feet in fast pitch.

There will be no adjustment to the outfield fences.

This is the second year in a row that Colquitt County has added a girls sport.

Last year, the school participated in flag football for the first time.