Four members of the 2017 Lyons Junior GRPA State Championship team seemed destined to win a title. Ellie Graham, Bailey Holland, Tori Wright and Rileigh Robinson started playing recreation ball as young Fleas. In 2013 they finished in second place in the Lyons Youth Tourney and third in the GRPA State Tourney.
In 2014 the girls became Mites and they finished third in the Lyons Youth Tourney and they played in the state tourney at Dublin.
After skipping the 2015 All Star season these four plus a fine nucleus of players from Toombs County Middle School and Robert Toombs Christian Academy won the District 1 Tourney and they finished third at state in 2016.
In 2017, as Juniors, Toombs County Middle School Bullpups Ashtyn Braddy, Rilyn Fitzgerald and Harley Hester joined most of the 2016 Midgets plus Alli Taufmann returned to the Lyons Recreation Department to form a team that had everything that is needed to win a championship.
With Holland and Braddy shutting down teams pitching from the circle, Braddy and Graham getting on base at the top of the lineup and Robinson, Hester, Wright, Taufmann and Holland driving in runs in the middle of the lineup the Lyons Juniors had two key elements in their winning formula. But these girls can also run the bases and everybody in the field can make the routine defensive play plus the occasional spectacular play. Add steady coaching, over the years, from coaches Graham Holland and Wright plus the addition of coach Fitzgerald from Toombs County, and you have a championship team.
From July 11 – 14 in 2017, Lyons rolled through the GRPA State Tournament bracket, in Augusta, outscoring it’s four opponents 43-6 including a 12-2 win over Moultrie in the championship game.
The 2017 state champs are Ashtyn Braddy, Rilyn Fitzgerald, Maison Garbutt, Ellie Graham, Rebecca Herndon, Harley Hester, Bailey Holland, Morgan Newson, Rileigh Robinson, Emma Salter, Alli Taufmann and Tori Wright.
Lyons Juniors realize their dream and win a GRPA State Championship
Lyons Junior Girls take down Camden County to move into the championship round
GRPA State Tourney Offensive Statistics
| # | Roster | GP | PA | AB | H | 1B | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | R | HBP | ROE | FC | CI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Alli Taufmann | 4 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| 1 | Ashton Braddy | 4 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .636 | .667 | .909 | 1.576 |
| 8 | Bailey Holland | 4 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .417 | .417 | .500 | .917 |
| 22 | Becca Herndon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 13 | Ellie Graham | 4 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| 9 | Emma Salter | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 | .400 | .600 | 1.000 |
| 12 | Harley Hester | 4 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .583 | .583 | .917 | 1.500 |
| 3 | Maison Garbutt | 4 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .444 | .500 | .556 | 1.056 |
| 24 | Morgan Newsome | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 | .400 | .250 | .650 |
| 10 | Rileigh Robison | 4 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .364 | .417 | .545 | .962 |
| 31 | Rilyn Fitzgerald | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 23 | Tori Wright | 4 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .800 | .833 | 1.200 | 2.033 |
| Totals | 4 | 106 | 100 | 46 | 32 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 43 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 7 | .460 | .491 | .620 | 1.111 | |
GRPA State Tourney Pitching Statistics
| # | Roster | IP | GP | GS | W | L | SV | SVO | BS | SV% | H | R | ER | BB | K | HBP | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashton Braddy | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.33 | |
| 8 | Bailey Holland | 17.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 1.24 | |
| Totals | 20.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 25 | 0 | 1.40 | ||
GRPA State Tourney Fielding Statistics
| # | Roster | TC | A | PO | E | DP | TP | FPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Alli Taufmann | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1 | Ashton Braddy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 8 | Bailey Holland | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .700 |
| 22 | Becca Herndon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 13 | Ellie Graham | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 9 | Emma Salter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 12 | Harley Hester | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 3 | Maison Garbutt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 24 | Morgan Newsome | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 10 | Rileigh Robison | 23 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 31 | Rilyn Fitzgerald | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 23 | Tori Wright | 31 | 6 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .968 |
| Totals | 88 | 23 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .943 | |