MOULTRIE – Before the Colquitt County softball team can start to build on the best season in school history, the Lady Packers will play a scrimmage game against Fitzgerald at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lady Packer Field.

And it will be no ordinary game, even by scrimmage standards.

It will feature rules modifications mandated by the Georgia High School Association to help the players, coaches, umpires, fans and their families be as safe as possible from the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines will be in force throughout the season.

Coach Chance Pitts and his staff and players are understandably eager to continue the fine work done by the 2019 team, which went 26-7.

But the GHSA restricted summer work as the highly contagious coronavirus swept across the country.

Now as teams prepare for what they hope will be a complete 2020 season, the GHSA has issued guidelines that it says will “decrease potential exposure to respiratory droplets by encouraging social distancing, limiting participation in administrative tasks to essential personnel and allowing for appropriate protective equipment during practice and competition.”

The one new rule that will perhaps take the most getting used to is the one that prohibits pitchers from licking fingers, touching any part of their hands to their mouth or blowing into their hands before delivering a pitch.

If an umpire detects a violation, he will declare a “dead ball,” the ball will be removed from play and another game ball will be provided by the pitcher’s team.

Also, the pitcher’s hand must be sanitized before play resumes.

Among other modifications are:

# At the conclusion of each half inning, the pitcher must take the game ball with her to the dugout.

# If a ball goes out of play, the defensive team is responsible for retrieving the ball and providing another to the pitcher.

# Players are not allowed to go out of the dugout to congratulate teammates after home runs.

# Team huddles without physical distancing of six feet are prohibited.

# Defensive conferences must be held on the outer edge of the pitching circle, maintaining physical distancing.

# Physical distancing must be maintained in the dugouts.

# Clear plastic face shields will be permitted.

# Cloth face masks are recommended, but not mandatory. If used, they must be a single color, without insignias or lettering.

# Players must use their own gloves, helmets, bats and water bottles.

# Equipment must be sanitized before and after each game.

# Each team is responsible for providing its own game balls.

In addition, GHSA specifies that concessions stands are prohibited and that host schools must enforce social distancing requirements in spectator areas and facility entrances.

Pitts said there will be signs encouraging fans to wash their hands and to adhere to social distancing requirements.

As the Lady Packers get used to the new rules against Fitzgerald, they also will try to get ready for the 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 11, season-opener against Coffee, also at Lady Packer Field.

Colquitt County lost eight seniors – Brooke Durrence, Callie Faircloth, Chloe Gould, Sarah Harrell, Kelsey Patel, Abeny Thomas, Marlie Wingate and manager Abby Allegood – from the program’s most successful fast-pitch softball team ever.

The Lady Packers won the Region 1-7A championship then swept Marietta and Norcross at home to advance to the championships in Columbus.

Colquitt lost to Grayson and Peachtree Ridge in their first two games, but finished 26-7. The most wins by a Lady Packers fast-pitch team had been 19.

“We hope we can feed off of that,” Pitts said Sunday. “We want to keep the momentum rolling. That’s why this scrimmage is probably the most important we’ve had. We’ve had three inter-squad games, but there is only so much you can do with them.

“And we’ve got a lot of new faces.”

The varsity Lady Packers roster includes Jade Horne, Abby Plymel, Kyla Morris, Maggie Rae Parker, JJ Furney, Katlynn Powers, Bre Caldwell, Elle Perryman, Madison Plymel, Emily Allegood, Morgan Holder, Julia Duncan, Jacey Wetherington, Maris Hopper, Carly Pearson, Amber Brown, Laura Hailey Bryan and Kaden Sutton.

“We’re working on a script for the scrimmage,” Pitts said. “I want to get each pitcher in the game and I want to get each of the catchers some work.

“I want to give everyone, all 18 of them, a look somewhere.”

Fitzgerald, which plays in Region 1-AA, went 10-12 last season.

Pitts said he expects having no problem getting umpires this season. In fact, an umpiring clinic was held Sunday at Packer Park’s inside baseball/softball indoor facility.

And he has talked to coaches of other teams on the Colquitt County schedule “and they appear ready to play.”

Included on the team’s 2020 schedule is a trip to North Gwinnett to play Dacula and Mountain View on Saturday, Aug. 22, and a four-game trip on Aug. 28-29, to North Paulding and Harrison in the Atlanta area.

Playing for the junior varsity team this season are Amber Brown, Laura Hailey Bryan, Kaden Sutton, Ella Lowry, Christina Cox, Kimyra Crawford, Carrie Norman, Trinity Grier, Zy Myricks, Laura Foreman, Nubia Madison, Maris Hopper and Carly Pearson.

The junior varsity season opens on Tuesday, Aug. 11, with a trip to Tift County for a doubleheader.

Playing for the eighth-grade Lady Packers are Emily Holweger, Libby Wetherington, Skylar Snipes, Aziah McNeal, Hannah Brown, Ava Grace Hood, Kadence Whittington, Sadie Jones, Montana Tatum, Lana Everett, Rajayla McBride and Kayden Price.

The first game for the eighth-graders is Aug. 25, when Valdosta will visit Lady Packer field.

The seventh-grade team includes Ava Fields, Lanie Burley, Jaidyn Holt, Rheygan Harrell, Peyton Arrington, Kamry Paulk, Hannah Luckey, Rylee Bryant, Ava Fuller, Layla Hinson, Chassidey Lassetter and

Tinsley Adair.

The seventh-graders will open on Thursday, Aug. 27, at home against Thomas County Central.