Three RTCA Lady Crusaders Chosen for State All-Star Game
L-R: Madison Williams, Morgan Newsome, Ellie Graham
Robert Toombs Christian Academy is excited to announce that seniors Ellie Graham, Morgan Newsom and Madison Williams were selected to play in the Gisa all-star senior classic held October 25 at Georgia Southwestern University. Morgan had a fantastic year defensively for the Lady Crusaders only committing 3 errors on the season. Ellie led the Crusader offense with a .508 batting average and runs scored with 31. Madison was able to come back from major knee surgery to help lead the Crusader outfield and was a team leader in rbi's.
Coach Brian Fitzgerald says, "It's always an honor to have one of your players selected and recognized for their hard work and dedication and in our case three players. They work hard in and out of the classroom and are the best of what it means to be a Crusader".
Seven Lady Crusaders Selected All-Region
Seniors Ellie Graham, SS , Morgan Newsome,2B, Madison Williams, RF, Marli McCranie, CF Junior Charlee Ely, OF/P, and Freshman Railee Thomas, C, and Meredith Durden, P, were unanimously chosen to represent Robert Toombs on the Lady Crusader softball team. Freshman Pitcher Meredith Durden was selected as the Region Player of the Year. These Ladies helped RTCA finish the season as the 5th ranked team in AA this year.
Coach Fitzgerald states, "With a full summer to work this year, we had a tremendous improvement especially from our middle of the field defense. We were able to cut our errors by over half from last season and Meredith was dominant in the circle. Offensively we were able to score 35 more runs in fewer games than we did last year. Our girls really worked hard to get themselves in a position to be ranked 5th in the state. I am excited about the growth we had and the potential for our future."
L-R: Meredith Durden, Ellie Graham, Madison Williams, Morgan Newsome, Marli McCranie, Charlee Ely, Railee Thomas
Player of the Year: Meredith Durden
Two Lady Crusaders Selected to All-State Team
Sr shortstop Ellie Graham and Freshman catcher Railee Thomas were selected to the Gisa AA all state team. Ellie led the crusaders offense with a .508 batting average and 31 runs scored while driving in 23. Defensively she only had 5 errors in over 50 chances on the season. Freshman catcher Railee Thomas led the crusaders in RBI with 30 and was second on the team with a batting average of .407 while also leading the crusaders in walks.
Coach Fitzgerald " With a player with the speed of Ellie Graham it is easy to see why she hit so well. She was a great table setter for the Middle of our lineup and was almost automatic on defense. This girl is going be hard for us to replace next season. As good as she was on the field for us, she is an even better person and student who represents her family and school with class. Railee Thomas as an 8th grader last year really made a name for herself, she led us offensively in almost every category, she continued that success this year offensively, despite the fact she was always pitched to with extreme caution. Leading our team in extra base hits, walks and rbi was obviously great but I was most pleased with how much better she played for us defensively, she has all the tools to be a special player. Looking forward to helping her develop her talent in the future at RTCA".
All State L-R: Ellie Graham and Railee Thomas
(Courtesy of RTCA)