RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
On Nov. 30, we profiled the senior class at East Coweta High School in Georgia after learning that all 10 seniors had not only finished their careers winning three of the last four state championships, the “Perfect Ten” had also all signed on Nov. 11, 2020 to play at the college level!
That group compiled a remarkable 137-6 record from 2017 to 2020 (a crazy good .958 winning percentage) including a perfect 36-0 mark in 2017 and, as we researched that class, we learned that Head Coach Franklin DeLoach has had similar success his entire career coaching the Lady Indians.
Later today, we will wrap up our look at the Extra Elite 100 High School Coach Rankings as we finish with those standout coaches ranked #’s 10-1 and—spoiler alert!—there’s a good chance Coach DeLoach will make the list.
Why?
Coach DeLoach has been the head man for two decades at the Georgia high school—he also is the head baseball coach too—and, in his tenure leading the Lady Indians he and his players have made 20 trips to the State Playoffs, been to 15 State Finals in Columbus, Georgia and won 15 regional championships in addition to the three titles captured in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Want to nominate your favorite club or college coach for ranking consideration? It’s not too late… Click HERE to submit!
DeLoach-led teams play in the highest level in the Peach State, 7A, and have come very close to winning other championships as well: in 2008, the Lady Indians were the AAAAA State Runners-Up, in 2015 the Lady Indians finished 3rd in the state and in 2009, 2012 and 2016 the Lady Indians finished in the Final Four.
When a college hoops team makes the “Final Four,” it’s a significant achievement; in Georgia high school softball over the last 20 years, DeLoach’s teams have made the Final Four an impressive eight times.
Before settling in at East Coweta, he was the head softball coach at Creekside High School for two years and combining records at those two high school, DeLoach’s softball coaching record is 569-144, a winning percentage of .798.
A Georgia native, he graduated from Jonesboro High in 1992 where he was a three-sport athlete in baseball, basketball and cross-country.
He would go on to get a Bachelor and master’s degree from the University of West Georgia and played four years of college baseball. In 2009 Franklin DeLoach earned his Education Specialist degree from Georgia College and State University.
Coach DeLoach is married to the former Fonda Futo and they are proud parents to Sarah, who is 20-years-old and a junior at Elon University; Ava, who is 14 and a student at East Coweta Middle School; Layla, who is 11 and 10-year old Ella Kate, both of whom attend Eastside Elementary School.
Along with his outstanding record and deep runs into the playoffs each year, DeLoach will also leave a legacy of developing players, many of whom have gone on to great success at the college level and beyond.
Here is a look at some of the recent players who are playing at the next level and several others who have gone on to success on and off the field…
Current seniors (2021 grads)
- Eliza Kuhne (Georgia College)
- Kylie Ferguson (Young Harris)
- Katie Taylor (Tennessee)
- Olivia Cook (South Carolina)
- Macie Wiggins (Georgia College)
- Mollie Peacock (Georgia Gwinnett College)
- MaKayla Swanson (Middle Georgia State)
- Kaliyah Matthews (Georgia Gwinnett College
- Ashleigh Griffin (Central Florida)
- Kenadie Cooper (Auburn)
Former players (2020)
- Lilly Agan (Washington)
- Caison Byars (Mercer)
- Hanna Miller (Young Harris)
- Anniston Wright (Georgia State)
- Ansley Gunter (Georgia Tech
- Ansley Duffey (Georgia Southwestern)
- Caroline Lively (Jacksonville State)
Former players (2019)
- Kelley Lynch (National Gatorade POY/Female Athlete of the Year, Washington currently)
- Carmen Prior (Columbus State University currently)
- Kris Odum (Columbus State University currently)
Former players (2018)
- Rachel Vaughan (South Carolina currently)
- Ashlynn Gunter (Georgia Southern)
- Olivia Davis (Georgia State University currently)
Former players (prior to 2018)
- Dani Morgan (currently a senior at Florida State, starting centerfield on National Champion team and set WCWS steals mark)
- Mekhia Freeman (senior at Georgia Southern and leading hitter last two seasons)
- Shemiah Sanchez (starter last three seasons at LSU (IF); played in WCWS)
- Katey Lynch (Kennesaw State.. Kelley Lynch’s older sister)
- Hailey Baswell (Southern Union… currently head softball coach at a private high school in Georgia)
- Kia Smith (Columbus State)
- Megan Chocallo (Middle Tennessee State, currently an airline pilot)
- Brandi McGregor (Minnesota)
- Bailey Bell (Armstrong Atlantic, current a nurse)
- Haley Parkerson (Nicholls, currently a nurse and on the front lines with COVID patients)
- Shirley Daniels (Syracuse)
- Lisaira Daniels (Georgia/Syracuse… while at UGA started in right field in WCWS)
- Alison Owen (Georgia/Mississippi State… pitched several innings for Georgia in WCWS; still holds some pitching records at Miss State; played and later coached for the professional league Akron Racers; has coached several years in college including pitching coach at Georgia Tech)
- Christina Ezell (Georgia Perimeter College… was National Pitcher of the Year, then played at Shorter College; currently a high school head coach in Alabama)
- Lacey Pierce (Georgia… played in WCWS)
- Amanda Crow (Jacksonville State)
- Jessica Lyness (College of Charleston)