Spring Garden softball coach Ann Welsh is going to have a tough time filling out the third and fourth spots in her lineup next season. That’s because for the first time in several seasons she won’t have senior shortstop Neely Welsh and senior pitcher Abbey Steward there to help bolster it.

For as long as Coach Welsh can remember, her daughter and Steward have been playing together. A lot of those years, they’ve been batting back-to-back.

“They just compliment each other,” she said. “I can remember their seventh or eighth grade year, we were playing in the Piedmont junior high tournament. We were in the championship game. One of them got a hit, and the next one got a hit and we went ahead. It was like they kind of feed off of each other in the lineup.”

This past season, Welsh hit .400 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, five triples, 12 walks, 38 runs and 43 RBIs. Steward followed Welsh and batted .303 with 12 doubles, a pair of triples, 11 walks, five runs and 26 RBIs.

Steward was also Spring Garden’s top pitcher, compiling a 14-4 record with 145 strikeouts and a 2.20 ERA for the Lady Panthers (25-13-1).

When it came time for the Cherokee County softball coaches to choose their 2022 softball player of the year, they were in agreement the choice should come from Spring Garden. The only problem was who.

“One of the other coaches said ‘I think you should have these two as the MVPs,’” Coach Welsh said. “I was like ‘Can we do that?’ They said ‘Yeah, it’s been done before.’ That’s other coaches seeing what they do. They see their importance on the field and the leadership they bring to the game.”

“It’s an honor for other coaches to notice us,” Steward said. “I feel like in the past you’ve always had teams that if you could just get past that one player you’d be better. The two of us, it just makes it harder on the other team.”

“She’s been one of my best friends forever, and I wouldn’t pick anyone else to share it with,” Neely Welsh said.

The two players credit each other for their respective individual successes. Steward moved to Spring Garden from Piedmont in the third grade. She quickly bonded with Neely Welsh and the two played with softball with each other on teams ever since.

“I can definitely say there are days that I don’t want to pitch (batting practice) to Neely, but she has made me better,” Steward said. “Her leadership on the field and at the plate has definitely made me want to do better as a player. If I’m having a bad day, she picks me up and puts me back where I need to be.”

“She’s really not scared to correct me on anything,” Neely Welsh says of Steward. “If I’m not doing something right, she’ll correct me. If I’ve made her mad, she will let me know. That’s definitely helped in a lot of different ways, just her being honest.”

Their relationship through the years has helped Spring Garden earn numerous county and area titles, as well as several regional and state tournament appearances, including last season.

“When Neely started to get going this season, it made things a lot easier,” Steward said. “When she started clicking, we all started picking it up and hitting better. We started hitting better and we started playing better in the field.

“Knowing that I can get on base and she’s right behind me in the lineup to move me up, that makes me feel a lot better,” Neely Welsh said.

Coach Welsh said both players’ presence has left a lasting legacy for the younger Lady Panthers to follow.

“We’ll definitely miss them,” she said. “It’ll be different next year, but I think they brought a lot to the younger girls, (like) the things that are expected of them and what it takes to reach your goals.”

Joining Steward and Welsh from Spring Garden on the All-Cherokee County Softball Team is junior third baseman Kayley Kirk, Steward’s younger sister and freshman outfielder/pitcher Avery Steward, and freshman catcher Maggie Jarrett.

Chosen from Cherokee County High School is eighth grade pitcher/first baseman Emma Hill, sophomore pitcher/outfielder Abby Lea, sophomore catcher Lanie Williams and sophomore third baseman Anna Walker.

Sand Rock and Cedar Bluff have three representatives apiece. Junior pitcher/third baseman Jadyn Foster, sophomore shortstop/second baseman Katelyn StClair and junior pitcher/third baseman EllaGrace Hood were selected from Sand Rock. Senior pitcher/infielder Jordyn Walker, sophomore shortstop Mattie Payne and junior pitcher/first baseman Reece Patterson were chosen from Cedar Bluff.

Gaylesville has a pair of representatives in junior outfielder Sierra Holbrook and sophomore catcher Emma Givens.