Orona, Griffin to remain teammates at next level
By LIZZI CLAYTON, Gazebo Assistant Editor
Although their final high school softball season has ended, seniors Alyssa Orona and Hannah Griffin are not ending their careers just yet.
Playing the sport they love together for the past 14 years, they will continue their journey together in college as they both have signed to play at Gordon State College in Barnesville.
The two tremendously talented players have both received scholarships to play at the NJCAA Division I school. They officially signed at a school-wide assembly on Wednesday.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that I’ve achieved a goal that I have had set for myself since I was a little girl and having Hannah by my side makes it even greater since we have been playing ball together for 14 years” said Orona.
Being able to achieve this goal has not come easy for the duo, yet being able to play at the college level makes “all the work I have put in definitely pay off,” Griffin said.“And getting a scholarship definitely makes all of that extra work worth it.”
They both agree their hard work was not the only contributing factor to their success.
“All of the coaches I’ve had in the past few years have prepared me very well for college,” Griffin said. “They’ve all taught me everything I’ve needed to know to be able to do well at the next level. Without the coaches I’ve had, none of it would be possible.”
Their coaches and constant training has led them to not only be able to play at the college level but also have two amazing stats for the two years they have played for Stratford.
In their 2015 season, Orona’s batting average was a 4.24 and she had five home runs, a .659 slugging percentage, and a 36 RBI. Griffin also had a stellar year with a .452 batting average, and 37 runs scored.
This past season they both kept up their pace with Orona having a batting average of 4.49, four home runs, and a 26 RBI while Griffin had a 4.52 batting average, a 5.56 OBP, and 32 runs scored.
In their careers, both have been on the All-Region team for the past three years as well as Orona on the All Middle Georgia first team in 2015 and Griffin being All-State in 2014.
Assistant Head Coach Tyler Brown has reflected on these statistics as he has been their coach for four years. He said although those statistics illustrate the success of both girls, they do not tell the whole story.
“They’re both great athletes and the progress they’ve made over the years in softball and in their academics has made them the remarkable people they are today,” he said.
