Softball: Wolfe, Lady Wolves reveal secret to success in Columbus

COLUMBUS –- For two-time defending Class AA girls state softball champion Buford, the key to success in the Elite Eight Tournament in Columbus is all about the hotel room.

“Well, the first year we stayed in the Hampton, which was real nice, but the Holiday Express was next door and it was only a year old so we decided last year to go there,” Buford coach Tony Wolfe said. “But this year we’re at the Country Inn, which is also real nice. For us, we look for a quiet place away from all the action.

“But the key is that we only have two girls in a room while most teams put four in a room. We found it makes for less stress and more rest for the girls. We think it’s made a difference.”

The Lady Wolves (21-4) will open defense of its title against Vidalia out of Region 3-AA on Thursday at noon in the first round of the double-elimination tournament. If Buford wins, it will play the Union County-Screven County winner at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The loser will play at 9 a.m. Friday in the elimination bracket.

Two state titles and a perfect 8-0 record the last two years in the state finals attest to the fact that Wolfe and the Lady Wolves, who come into this year’s three-day event as the overwhelming favorite to pull off the three-peat, have found a formula that works. Wolfe said they do very little scouting of the other teams and just concentrate on the things they do well.

“The rest factor I think plays a huge part, especially after the second day," Wolfe said. "But really we just focus on ourselves. We don’t look at it like we’re the favorites. Every year is different and we come down here as hunters looking to win a title. But I will say that if we could win three in a row it would be amazing.”

It also doesn’t hurt that Buford has perhaps the best one-two punch in the pitching circle in Class AA in juniors Karly Fullem (10-2) and Melissa Dickie (8-1). The two combined to allow just one run combined in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Lady Wolves also have one of the most feared lineups in all of girls’ softball in any classification. Senior catcher and Georgia Tech commit Alysha Rudnik leads Buford with a .470 average, six home runs, seven doubles, 32 RBI, and 28 runs scored while sophomore outfielder Lexi Overstreet is hitting .388 with one home run, two triples, 10 doubles, and 28 RBI.

The top of the order is paced by junior Chelsie Thomas, who is hitting .397 with 21 stolen bases and 31 runs scored and sophomore Callie Chase, who hits second, had 11 stolen bases and scored 26 runs while hitting at a .403 clip. Whitney Wolfe is hitting .370 and Fullem is hitting .333 for the Lady Wolves.

So with that much firepower, does Wolfe figure he has enough offense to continue outscoring the opposition by a nearly 8:1 margin?

“There’s no question we have some girls who can really swing the bats,” he said. “But we’re still a pitching and defense team. That’s what wins championships down here. The last couple of years proved that.”

Despite the perfect record over its two-year reign at Columbus, it did not come easy for the Lady Wolves. They survived three one-run games and won two more games in extra innings that were either 0-0 or 1-1 after regulation in the eight games.

“The offense usually starts to dry up in the second game and beyond,” Wolfe said. “I am sure before it’s all over we will have to win at least one 1-0 game, and with Karly and Melissa we feel we have the two best pitchers in the state to do that with. But we will need all the offense we can get and hopefully the girls will come through for us again.”