Deason gets 100th win in sixth season

Published 10:00 am Friday, August 30, 2024

“What are they doing here?”

GMC Prep head softball coach Jennifer Deason asked those words aloud to herself Wednesday ahead of her team’s home game against Mount de Sales. She was wondering about the high-ranking school officials and more family members than normal in attendance for what was expected to be a blowout win.

Turned out, they were there to celebrate her. The sixth-year softball head coach had no idea why until GMC Prep Athletic Director/softball PA announcer Rusty Courson gave the reason shortly before the scheduled first pitch.

The Lady Dogs’ 8-0 win at Brentwood Monday was No. 100 in Deason’s time leading the program, which began in 2019. The year-by-year win totals go like this in order: 28, 12, 19, 21, 15, and Monday’s road victory was the fifth this season, putting Deason at a nice round 100.

She was clueless about the achievement until the words left Courson’s mouth Wednesday, making for a nice surprise before the home matchup with Mount de Sales.

“I don’t keep up with numbers,” Deason said after the game. “I can barely tell you my birthday. Don’t ask me about anybody else’s except for maybe my twin sister’s. I’m not a numbers person. I don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff.”

The head coach now has a memento to help her remember this particular milestone as she was gifted a softball signed by her team. She also posed for a picture with GMC President Lt. Col. William B. Caldwell IV and Prep School Principal Col. Amy Lee before Wednesday’s game.

“It doesn’t seem that long ago since I started,” a reflecting Deason said. “The years have flown by. I’ll keep doing it as long as they keep letting me. Thanks to my players and the coaching staff, Nikki Grimes and Brian Humphrey, because we’ve worked as a team for those 100 wins.”

In retrospect, the century victory is even more special than first thought. It was during that Brentwood game when Deason’s youngest daughter, sophomore Allie, smacked her first career varsity home run after some crossed-up signals between mother/coach and daughter/player.

“I gave her a bunt sign because I wanted to score the run and she missed it,” Deason said in recalling the moment. “So then I just told her to hit away. It came off the bat hot and flew over the left-center fence, just like that. I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s something special to be on the field for your daughter’s first varsity home run.”

Deason has had the opportunity to coach both her daughters in varsity softball now, of which she is appreciative.

Rolling along to Wednesday’s game, win 101 was no problem at all as the Lady Dogs crushed the MDS Lady Cavaliers 14-0 in four innings. Star senior pitcher Hannah Garner struck out 10 and walked only one batter out of the 13 she faced. That win elevated GMC Prep’s record to 6-1 heading into Thursday’s home contest against Gatewood.

“I’m pleased with how we’re playing right now,” Deason said. “We’re dominant in the circle with our senior and I’ve got freshmen who can put some time in there as well. We’re on a good roll. Hopefully we stay that way as we get into region play.”

The Georgia High School Association earlier this week released its first round of rankings as part of the new postseason ranking formula, or PSRF. The system is being used to seed the playoffs for some GHSA classifications with the new postseason tournament split among public and private schools. The PSRF is not being employed, however, at the lowest classification where GMC Prep competes, Class A Division II. Those playoffs will be seeded in the traditional manner with region first- through fourth-place finishers making the cut.

The GHSA still decided to release PSRF ratings for Class A D-II, and the Lady Dogs were second only behind Screven County. While the system won’t seed GMC Prep’s playoffs, it does give an idea of what teams could be left competing for the state title in Columbus later this fall.

Count the No. 2 ranking among the numbers coach Deason isn’t paying attention to.

“It doesn’t mean anything to us right now,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re ranked one or four in your region, it’s whether you can play well enough to get to Columbus. That is the goal. We like being noticed, but it doesn’t change our work ethic.”