Softball in the South has exploded in the last 10 years and Georgia Impact is one of the many organizations raising the level of talent and competitiveness. Gold head coach, Patrick Lewis talks about the history of the program and how the culture is pivotal to its success.

 When did the team/program start and how/why did it come to be?  The Georgia Impact started in 2002. I began coaching in the Impact organization in 2011. In 2015, I moved up to take over the Gold program.

 Where are you based?  Where do your athletes come from (all locally, some out of state?)  Our team practices in Kennesaw, GA but we have players from all over the country.

 What was the purpose of creating the team (showcase players, win titles, develop skills, etc.)?  The purpose of this team isn't really to win titles or showcase players. We believe that if we do things the right way and get buy in to our mission then titles will come. Our purpose is to try and develop our players into better people and teammates. During the course of that personal development, we work at enhancing their skill set to prepare them not only for college but to prepare them for life. Our mission statement for our team is as follows:

It is our mission and duty to provide an atmosphere of discipline, accountability and mental awareness, that when coupled with the latest training techniques and game situational strategies, will provide our athletes the tools to fulfill their potential. It shall never be our goal to merely win games, but to do things the right way, compete and be selfless. Wins will come!

 What have been some of your successes in terms of winning or placing at events? Highlighted Finishes -- PGF Runner up, PGF 3rd, PGF 5th, ASA 3rd

So Cal A's Invitational Champions this year and 3rd in IDT.

 What makes the organization unique?  It is an association of coaches and not of teams. This allows us to move quickly and be flexible with the constant changing landscape of this game.

 What's your softball background and how did you get to the point of leading the team?  Growing up my sister played travel softball for my father and I would always tag along on those van rides all over the country and instilled a passion for coaching in me. I started out coaching baseball before my daughters started playing. Once they started playing softball, I started coaching softball. I realized how much more enjoyable coaching girls were and I felt I could have a bigger impact.

 How many teams are there in the organization overall?  18 teams (14 -- GA, 4- FL)

 Has there been a key moment or defining experience in the team's history?  Last year our team was very young and could have been playing 16U but we felt it was in their best interest to put them against the best at 18 Gold. We were fortunate to get an invitation to the So Cal A's last year where we competed well in pool play but lost our first bracket game. Then we went to Boulder where we dominated in pool again but lost in the first round of elimination play and repeated that performance in the Demarini losing to the Bandits Conroy team in the first round there. So I would say we had a few defining moments last year which were all based on failures. This taught our players that they could compete but they didn't know how to win yet and it has changed the culture within our team where each player holds the other accountable.

 What is your primary focus or goal with this team? Compete at the highest level and hopefully they leave here better people.

 What do you think are the strengths of the team? The culture within this team. I could say pitching or hitting but at the end of the day culture always trumps talent. They play for each other!

 If there is one thing you would say that separates you from other club programs, what would it be?  The one thing that we have noticed from the top organizations in the country is consistency in preparation. We have tried to emulate that but establish our own culture. We just try to do the right things and instill grit and accountable within our players.

 Anything else interesting or fun that I could use to portray your team as a top organization?   We had 4 players go play for National teams this year (Team USA -- 2, Team Canada -- 1, Bahamian National Team -- 1)

Meet Georgia Impact National - Lewis

Pitchers

#2 Ava Tillman (2017, Ole Miss)
No. 88 Hot 100 2017 Recruit 

Ava throws in the mid-60's with her screwball and is excellent at spotting her pitches and keep the ball down with her drop ball to induce ground balls. Last fall she shined in the circle and at the plate as she led her Georgia team to a 2nd place finish in the regional tournament and has a 1.53 ERA while batting .410 and knocking in 30 RBI. She's had a great high school career which got off to an explosive start as she won 25 games as a freshman and was the 5AAA Region's Player of the Year. She's been in the Impact organization for several years andin 2014, when she committed to the Rebels, helped her Impact-Gibson team to a 5th place finish at Boulder IDT and 7th at PGF Nationals. Popular at her school, she was recently voted 2nd runner-up as Homecoming Queen and has even been her school's mascot (a Bulldog).

#8 LHP Gabby Sprang (2017, Tennessee)
No. 3 Hot 100 2017 Recruit 

She's a 6-foot-1 lefty who has great movement on her pitches, highlighted by a drop ball that is her out pitch. She can spot her pitches and locate so well that she puts up big strikeout numbers. Over one three-game stretch this spring for her Rosemont (Minnesota) team, she had 50 Ks, including a school record 21 in one game. When surveying coaches, both club and college, about the top pitchers in the nation, almost all had Gabby near or at the top of the list. One coach from the South represented many when he said, "She's the best pitcher in the nation, hands down." Another aspect that's helped Gabby up her level of success is her demeanor in the circle. She rarely gets rattled and is mentally as tough as they come.

#34 Rachel Vaughn (2018, South Carolina)
No. 75 Hot 100 2018 Recruit 

Rachel is a lefty pitcher who hits the gun in the mid-60s and complements her heat with a devastating change and drop curve. Scouts love how she never gets rattled and has an outstanding mound presence. Rachel has gone 24-2 the last two years at the high school level. She went 15-1 for her Georgia high school this year with a 1.30 ERA and gave up just seven walks in 89 innings.  She's also an excellent hitter and batted .419 with 11 doubles and 34 RBIs. The junior plays on the same prep team as another standout pitcher, Kelley Lynch, an Auburn commit ranked #2 in the 2019 Hot 100.

#9 P/OF Karly Heath (2018, South Carolina)
No. 40 Hot 100 2018 Recruit

Karly was a FloSoftball 2nd Team All-American and 1st Team All-State selection for her North Augusta, South Carolina high school team after shining both in the circle and at the plate. She hit .500 with 33 RBI and 23 steals and set a school record with 10 home runs. Her pitching numbers were equally strong: 8-1 with a 1.72 ERA and 87 K's in 56 innings. Karly is a 5-foot-11 lefty hitter with great all-around tools. She ran a 2.68 home-to-first at the USA Select Elite Top 30 and throws in the mid 60's with a really good change-up.

Catchers

Julia Cottrill (2019, Florida)
No. 2 Hot 100 2019 Recruit

Cottrill is one of the most promising young players in the sport and there are two key facts that make her one of the brightest lights in the future of fastpitch softball: she made the USA Softball Jr. National Team and she's played high-level 18U club ball since she was in the 8th grade. She's a woman among girls even though she's only a sophomore in high school. Says one Top 25-level college coach, "Julia just hits like a full-grown woman, it's crazy." Adds another top coach, "Offensively, she is tough to beat." For her Central (Andover, Kansas) High team last spring, the standout catcher batted .511 with 38 RBI, seven home runs and a 1.114 slugging percentage.

XXX Morgan Cummins (2018,LSU) OOO

This is Morgan's first summer with Impact. She brings us strength behind the plate with a plus arm and isn't scared to throw it around. Big bat. Great player to have in the dugout! Very coachable.

Infield

#4 2B/SS Gabby Teran (2017, Syracuse)
No. 42 Hot 100 2017 Recruit 

Gabby is a mighty mite at 5-foot-3 who hit .458 during the summer for the Impact and has looked strong all summer and fall.  At the So Cal A's Invitational, she had several extra-base hits against elite competition and over the weekend helped her Georgia high school team make it to the quarterfinals of the Class AAAA playoffs.  The senior balances power and speed and can hit for a high average too. She's always been a tough out at the plate and on defense she has all the physical tools: lateral quickness, range, a great glove-to-hand transition and a strong arm. Gabby was overlooked by many schools because of her size and one coach said, "She's an SEC player who got away." Look for her to be a dominant player early in the ACC.

#1 SS/2B Hannah Adams (2017, Florida)
No. 10 Hot 100 2017 Recruit  

Hannah is one of the 10 high school players invited to the USA Softball Jr. Women's National Team Select Tryout at the end of December and it's in large part to her great defense. More than one coach has said she's the best shortstop in the game at the club level because she can do it all in the field, including getting to balls most players can't because of outstanding footwork and angles, using her great hands to get the ball out quickly, and making throws almost no player can. Hannah battled a back injury last year but is back to 100 percent and has earned All-State honors in Georgia after leading her team to a state title last year and a trip to the Class 7A title game this fall. She was the Offensive Player of the Year for Gwinnett County this fall and is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Scouts also comment on her high softball IQ and how she can drive the ball out of the park while also being a doubles machine. Hannah was first seen by the Florida coaches as a second year 12U player and committed on campus in January of her freshman year right after she was offered.

#11 1B/C/OF/P Ashley Morgan (2017, South Carolina)
No. 70 Hot 100 2017 Recruit 

Ashley suffered an ACL tear last year, but has been released to play the second half of the fall season in Georgia and is back in action.  She has been a key force in the Impact organization since 10U and picked up the awesome nickname "Megatron" along the way (because of some gear she wore that one coach said looked like a "Transformer"). She plays 100 percent every pitch and is a great all-around athlete who can do it all. This summer she was honored as the Gatorade State Player of the Year after the lefty pitcher led her team to the Class 5A state title by going 19-1 in the circle with a 0.81 ERA and a .505 batting average with 11 home runs. She is a top dual threat in that the 5-foot-6 athlete can also catch, play first or in the outfield. She picked the Vols in December of 2014.

Kyra Lockhart (2017, Alabama)
No. 39 Hot 100 2017 Recruit

Kyra is one of the most feared sluggers in the country and had seven home runs this fall in school ball.  A former FloSoftball All-American, she has a quick bat and can hit to all fields while being an outstanding defensive fielder at first base.  Her mechanics are sound and she's been playing 18U ball since the seventh grade.  She moved to the Impact after being with the Intensity for several years and is noted by scouts for her outstanding eye at the plate and the ability to foul off pitches she doesn't like until she gets the one she wants to drive. She didn't strike out once during one of her high school seasons. The New Jersey native committed to Alabama during her freshman year of high school.

 3B/C Niki Carver (2017,Ohio State) 

Niki has been in the Impact organization since 12U. Coach Scotty always says that Niki is on the Coach Scotty All Star for team for life. She brings so much effort and energy to everything she does. Plays the game with grit and heart. Can play any infield position and even pitches for her HS team where she pitched a perfect game last fall!

 3B/C/MIF Alex Fulmer (2017,South Carolina) 

Alex is a very talented player that pitches for the Women's USA Baseball team. She can play anywhere on the field and is very coachable.

Outfield

#00 OF Savannah Stewart (2018, LSU)
No. 43 Hot 100 2018 Recruit

Stewart has been in the Impact program for three years and each year has made incremental and impressive improvement. The Georgia junior is a lefty slapper with power and has earned the nickname "Rocket" because of her skills at playing small ball with her 2.7 home-to-first speed but the ability to power slap and also drive the ball to the gaps and over the fence. Savannah covers a ton of ground in the outfield and at the plate finds ways to get on base; her on-base percentage at the prestigious So Cal A's Invitational in June, for example, was .500. She earned 1st Team All-State honors this fall after hitting .429 in Region 3AAAAAAA and leading her team to the playoffs.

 Mallory Lewis (2018, uncommitted)  

Mallory has worked through some injuries so it is good to have her back on the field. Even during that time of injury she did whatever she could to help her team. Great teammate. She has good speed and a strong arm. Her softball IQ is above average.

Utility

#5 2B/OF Kloyee Anderson (2018, Alabama)
No. 56 Hot 100 2017 

Kloyee has been an under-the-radar player who had a meteoric rise in the last year. She played with the Lady Lightning at the club level and lit up the North Carolina high school scene, earning all-state honors and Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year. She hit .544 with 45 runs as a lead-off batter for the two-time 3A state champs. Kloyee also had 27 RBIs at the top of the order. She brings a lefty stick to the line-up with devastating speed. The Tide commit has all the tools for the short game and can hit for power too. She committed to Alabama in December of 2014.

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