By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

It’s impossible to go count the number of hard mints and Life Savers Gummies Spring Garden senior catcher Maggie Jarrett and the rest of the Lady Panther softball seniors have earned from her father Greg since they were in seventh grade.

In what’s become a Spring Garden softball tradition, whenever any of the Lady Panthers would deliver a hit, Greg would meet them in the dugout in between innings to deliver their in-game sweets.

“It just lit a little fire under our butts when we were young,” Maggie Jarrett said. “He’s been coaching all the seniors for a long time, and has a connection with them like I do. All the girls love it. We know once we get a hit, we’re like ‘Yeah. Where’s my candy?’”

Just this season alone, Maggie Jarrett could’ve been a Life Savers Gummies spokesperson. She compiled a .468 batting average with 52 hits, including 14 doubles, nine triples, three home runs, 25 runs and 40 RBIs in helping the Lady Panthers (22-13-2) finish third in the Class 1A state softball tournament in Oxford.

It remains to be seen how much candy Greg Jarrett gives his daughter for earning her biggest hit off the field this season: the Cherokee County coaches’ choice as their Most Valuable Player.

“It’s a good feeling to know all the hard work you’ve been putting in for a long time shows,” Maggie Jarrett said. “This wouldn’t be possible without my great teammates behind my back through every game and every practice. It’s just a good feeling to know they chose me and see me as that kind of player.”

It isn’t just Maggie Jarrett’s offense that makes her a great player on the diamond. Her defense is solid as well.

Base runners attempted to steal on her at their own risk.

“She’s got a strong arm,” Spring Garden coach Ann Welsh said. “I remember telling her before the first game we played this season, ‘Maggie we’re just going to throw people out. If they run, you throw it. First and third, if they run, you throw them out at two. We’re getting them out.’ I felt like that’s what she did.

“A lot of that is her. That’s just reading the player, and her and Olivia (Law) being ready. We had two big plays in the playoffs, and both of them happened to be against Ider. Those were big outs at third when the base runner had too big a lead or wasn’t paying attention. That’s just Maggie reading the situation. You can’t coach that. That’s intuition. That’s just from playing ball a lot of years and learning the game.”

Maggie Jarrett doesn’t take all the credit for gunning out base runners. She said she’s “got to give it to my teammates for some of the rusty throws I made.”

“They made some good tags,” she said. “At practice, we’ll be throwing so many to each bag. I’d go up to the field with my dad to work on my throws, and the connection I have with everyone, especially (shortstop) Helena (Ingram) and (third baseman) Liv (Olivia Law), is there. They know when I’m going to throw it. We just have that connection. That really helps me knowing I can trust them to make that tag when I throw.”

It also helps that Maggie Jarrett isn’t afraid to get dirty, as Welsh said.

“Maggie fell in love with catching at a young age, and if you know Maggie, I think it just fits her,” Welsh said. “She gets back there and takes charge. She’s not afraid of the ball. We do things at practice where there’s a ball in the outfield and the outfielders beat her to death (on the throws), but she stays in there. Just her mindset and the way she plays, she’s determined to stop whatever comes to her. She and (pitcher) Avery (Steward) also have a good connection. I think the position fits her. She found it and stuck with it.”

The Lady Panthers’ third-place finish at state was their highest since the 2019 season. It capped a banner year for Spring Garden girls sports, which also included state championships in volleyball and basketball – both of which Maggie Jarrett was also a vital part.

“We put a lot of sweat and tears in every sport we played here,” she said. “I think with every sport we play, everyone puts in extra. I couldn’t be more proud of how my career at Spring Garden has gone, and I couldn’t be prouder of my teammates.

“In softball, we had such a great season. Even though we didn’t get the finish we wanted, I think we can all say we’re still proud of our season. We worked so hard to get there. We may have lost, but we still had each other in those moments.”

And plenty of candy too.

Chosen by the coaches as Pitcher of the Year was Cherokee County High School junior Emma Hill. Hill went 18-7 with 249 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA in 142 2/3 innings. She also batted .405 with a pair of doubles and 15 RBIs.

Sand Rock sophomore shortstop/pitcher Emma Sipsy was selected as Hitter of the Year.

Sipsy batted .339 with 14 doubles, eight home runs, a pair of triples, 16 walks, 33 runs and 30 RBIs.

The county tournament’s MVP was Cherokee County High School junior catcher/third baseman Izzy Patterson.

For the season, Patterson batted .342 with four doubles, four home runs, seven walks, 17 runs and 29 RBIs in 30 games.

The 2025 All-Cherokee County Softball selections are listed below.

2025 All-Cherokee County Softball Selections
Most Valuable Player: Maggie Jarrett, Spring Garden
Pitcher of the Year: Emma Hill, Cherokee County
Hitter of the Year: Emma Sipsy, Sand Rock
County Tournament MVP: Izzy Patterson, Cherokee County

All-Cherokee County Softball Team
Auburn Mullins, Cherokee County
Sydni Frost, Cherokee County
Bristol Bass, Cherokee County
Sofie Dawson, Cherokee County
Brooklynn Bruce, Cherokee County
Avery Steward, Spring Garden
Helena Ingram, Spring Garden
Layla Ingram, Spring Garden
Maggie Jarrett, Spring Garden
Rylie Walker, Cedar Bluff
Ciana Smith, Cedar Bluff
Kylie Vadon, Cedar Bluff
Aliyah King, Sand Rock
Macy Martin, Sand Rock
Alyvia McMichen, Sand Rock
Lydia Reynolds, Gaylesville
Bayleigh Ratliff, Gaylesville