Taylor Stitcher of Wilkes County, plays for the Briarwood JV softball team. Taylor Stitcher, daughter of Melanie Blakey Stitcher, along with two other Wilkes County students, played a major role in the Briarwood Academy junior varsity softball team’s very successful 2005 season.

Taylor pitched for the 15-2 JV Lady Bucs.

“They’ve done great,” Coach Wayne Wilson said. “We have much better athletes than the other teams we’ve played, even the one that beat us. They are a committed group of young ladies, and these young ladies do not mind hard work.”

The JV girls’ two losses were both to long-time undefeated AAA John Milledge Academy of Milledgeville, whose pitchers are coached by nearby Georgia State College and University pitching coaches. John Milledge will soon lose that advantage to the JV Lady Bucs’ pitchers who are taking pitching lessons from the Augusta College softball coach.

“I can teach them to slide and throw and hit the ball, but I can’t teach them to throw underhanded softballs like they do now,” Wilson said, adding, “I’ve got parents who are committed to their kids, and they’re getting them here on Sunday afternoons (for the coaching and pitching sessions). That means a lot.”

The eighth-grade-laden JV squad is sending some extremely talented players to the varsity next year, according to Coach Wilson.

Eighth grader Taylor Stitcher is the Lady Bucs’ number one pitcher with all 15 of the squad’s wins to her credit. She plays second base when she isn’t on the mound.

Stitcher is the granddaughter of Jimmy and Lucille Blakey of Lincolnton.