Three WCHS Lady Rams Make Elite 80 Showcase
by Heather Faircloth • photography by Heather Faircloth

Worth County High School is proud to have three Lady Rams in the Elite 80 Showcase for fastpitch softball.  Haley Ellis, Heather Ellis and Kimberly “Kimmy” Lee traveled to Woodstock, Georgia, to play on Team 6 in the GADC Elite 80 Showcase on July 15. Organized by the Georgia Dugout Club, the Elite 80 is composed of players from all over the state of Georgia.  The players are evaluated on position play (throwing and catching), hitting, and base-running skills.

This year’s event was hosted by Twin Creeks Fastpitch Complex in Cherokee County.  The players participated in three games.  The Worth County trio played on Team 6 with athletes from Screven County High School, Jones County High School, Lowndes High School, Rockmark High School, Riverwood High School and Tift County High School.

Sixteen college coaches attended the Third Annual Elite 80 Showcase. Lee and the Ellis twins are no strangers to the spotlight, and each has a long list of accomplishments on the softball field.  Among their shared achievements at Worth County are a region championship and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2008. Their travel team, the South Georgia Extreme coached by Keith Barnes, won the 16U World Series in 2009.

Haley Ellis is a two-time Region 1-AAA Player of the Year, a two-time First Team All-State selection, and a 2008 U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete. She was also part of the 2009 Elite 80 Showcase. Her softball career began in sixth grade, after a few years of playing baseball with boys. “Doing this I think improved my knowledge, skill and competitiveness for the game,” she says.  

Recognizing the value of hard work on the field and in the classroom, Haley Ellis has a 4.0 grade point average and says academics come before softball. A personal motto, which could be applied to either area, motivates her to do well. “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect,” she says. Her goal is to compete for a Division I college, and she is interested in the University of Georgia, Florida State University and the University of Alabama.

Kimmy Lee plays first base and alternates to third base. “No pain, no game” is her motto, which may be responsible for her success on the field. Lee is a two-time First Team All-Region and a First Team All-State selection. She also made the Elite 80 Showcase in 2008 and 2009 as well as the All-Area team in 2008.  Lee hopes to continue her softball career at a Division I college, possibly as a Lady Dawg. She also plans to become an orthopedic surgeon. Attributing her success to her parents, Lee says, “They inspire me to be something bigger than I am.”  

Like her sister, Heather Ellis played baseball before softball, switching when she was 12. “I believe playing baseball is what made me passionate and competitive about softball today.  When I am on the field there is a ‘want’ for the ball and a desire to be the game-changer,” she says.  Softball is not her only passion. Heather Ellis maintains a 4.0 grade point average and realizes academics are key for Division I softball. She hopes to play for the University of Georgia, Florida State University or the University of Florida.

Heather Ellis is a two-time First Team All-Region selection.  Other honors include the 2009 All-Area Team, a 2009 All-State Honorable Mention, and the Elite 80 Showcase in 2008 and 2009. She attributes her success to coaches, her parents, and her grandmother. “She was always with me at every game and talking me through every win and loss,” Heather Ellis says. As for her future, she says, “I plan to go as far as my athletics and academics will take me. Today is only the beginning to forever.”