Tuesday, June 11th, will be another big day for softball in the Scenic City as the 26th annual Tennessee-Georgia All-Star Softball Classic will be held at Frost Stadium.
The action will begin at 11 a.m. with five youth games being held every 75 minutes, followed by the annual doubleheader of seven-inning contests between recent graduates from southeast Tennessee against their counterparts from northwest Georgia.
Admission is $10 at the gate for adults, $5 for students ages 6-12, while kids ages five and under will get in free to watch the border battle.
The late Marvin "Stump" Martin founded the game in 1998, shortly after northwest Georgia teams made the move from slowpitch to fastpitch.
The game was not played in 2020 due to concerns over COVID.
Over the years, top names from both states have participated in the game. Former Kentucky standout Kelsey Nunley (Soddy-Daisy) was the Classic's MVP in 2012, while recent Tennessee stalwart Ashley Rogers (Meigs County) was the MVP of the 2018 Classic. Jana Johns (Calhoun), who won two NCAA titles while at Oklahoma, was the Georgia Player of the Game in 2017.
This year's coaches include Kelli Smith of Baylor and Meagan Base of LaFayette and feature a pair of 19-player rosters, all of whom will be playing at the next level.
Among the talent from the Volunteer State will be players from Division II-A state champion and nationally-ranked Silverdale Baptist and Division II-AA state champion Baylor, along with Division II-AA state runner-up Chattanooga Christian and state tournament teams Meigs County (2A) and Soddy-Daisy (3A).
The Peach State will counter with players from Class 4A state champion Heritage, third-place (3A) Gordon Lee, Class 1A-Division I Elite Eight teams Dade County and Trion, and other state qualifiers Chattooga (1A-DI), LaFayette (3A), Central-Carroll (4A) and Northwest Whitfield (4A), among others.
Team Tennessee staved off a late rally by Team Georgia in Game 1 last year, 7-6, before completing a sweep with a 7-2 victory in the nightcap.
It was the first doubleheader sweep for the Volunteer State since 2019 and gave them a 37-11-2 overall lead in the all-time series.
Baylor's Katie Raper was the Clifford Kirk Tennessee Player of the Game and Gordon Lee's Chloee Fryar was named the Chip Liner Georgia Player of the Game. Soddy-Daisy's Tatum Massengale took home the Stump Martin MVP award.
Team Georgia
Head Coach: Meagan Base (LaFayette)
Avery Greeson (P, OF) Calhoun
Athens Hudson (P, DH) Calhoun
Emma Shoemaker (SS) Central-Carroll
Ally Croy (C, OF) Chattooga
Falyn Baggett (C) Dade County
K. K. Castleberry (2B, 3B) Dade County
Kayeligh Warnock (P) Dade County
Sydney Garrett (P) Gordon Lee
Kelsey Anderson (P) Heritage
Abbie Young (C) Heritage
Jaselyn Couch (OF) LaFayette
Suki Williams (3B) LaFayette
Britni Newbille (P, UTL) LFO
Carlee Wilson (2B, SS) LFO
Staesha Campbell (3B, OF, C) Northwest Whitfield
Laila Perry (OF) Northwest Whitfield
Maddy Lee (C) Ringgold
Zoey DeFoor (SS) Ringgold
Aubree Weaver (OF) Trion
Team Tennessee
Head Coach: Kelli Smith (Baylor)
Holly Merritt (1B) Baylor
Riley Oleksik (C, 2B, OF) Baylor
Avery Shamblin (P) Baylor
Kaylee Snyder (P, 3B) Baylor
Addi Yates (SS, CF) Baylor
Brooke Watson (P, 1B) Boyd-Buchanan
Emily Matthews (C) Chattanooga Christian
Ashley Allen (P, 1B) Cleveland
Lily O'Bryan (P, 1B) Cleveland
Ashlynn Watkins (1B, DH) East Hamilton
Meghan Kernea (C, 3B) Hixson
Miyell McCullough (OF) Hixson
Allison McDaniel (UTL) Hixson
Beth Moore (1B) Hixson
Kylee Hitson (1B, 3B) Meigs County
Sierra Howard (P,3B) Meigs County
Ella Cunningham (P, 1B) Silverdale
Kennedy Stinson (OF) Silverdale
Regan Rowan (P) Soddy-Daisy
Youth Game Schedule
11 a.m.: Fury Platinum vs. Game Time (6-U)
12:15 p.m.: Fury Platinum vs. Game Time (6-U)
1:30 p.m.: Force Elite vs. Red Fox 2015 (8-U)
2:45 p.m.: Force Elite vs FCA Lady Braves (12-U)
4 p.m.: Frost Falcons vs. Game Time (10-U)
(All youth games will be limited to a strict 65-minute time limit.)