Athlete Spotlight
For the girls of the Augusta Christian softball team, 2005 was a year to remember.
Augusta Christian pitcher Kristin Wallace is in the Athlete Spotlight.
Photo by Chris Thelen
The team won its first region title in school history and won two games in the South Carolina Independent Schools Association Class AAA state tournament. ACS beat Porter-Gaud and Thomas Sumter but lost to Northwood Academy and Florence Christian.
But after ACS (15-6) lost its final game, some of the girls had sobering thoughts.
They had played their final game with Kristin Wallace.
Wallace, the team's only senior, is one of the architects of the Lions' softball program.
She was on the first fast-pitch team at Augusta Christian and was named All State her freshman season.
"I guess it was really good timing for me," Wallace said recently. "It was really good to have the team start up here because I had a lot of experience with travel ball. I think I was the most experienced on that first team."
Wallace hasn't slowed down since, winning All State honors nearly every season and holding every major pitching record at ACS.
"The records are nice," Wallace said. "But going out with a winning season would be great."
With Wallace as the ace, the Lions enjoyed their greatest season in the short history of the program, with the region title and a win over defending state champion Cardinal Newman as the highlights.
"She means a lot to this program," said Lions coach Stephanie Miller. "She leads by example and a lot of the girls look up to her."
Although she is known for her pitching prowess, Wallace will play middle infield for Southern Wesleyan next season.
"She is going to be missed so much," said junior Jordan Little. "She was this team. We all looked up to her and she was a great pitcher and leader.
"Yes, we bring everybody else back next season, but it is going to be hard to replace her. Maybe impossible," she said.
The loss in the state tournament at Lexington, S.C., ends a year for Wallace that included being named homecoming queen and a Wendy's High School Heisman finalist.
"I guess you could say everything has gone pretty good this year," she said.