After securing their second 6A State Championship in three years, the Athens High School softball team returned to their home field on Monday, June 24, to lead off their three-day skills camp for local kids.

“This is No. 11; I’ve been running this camp here for 11 years,” Travis Barnes, head softball coach for Athens High School, told the News Courier on Monday. “We’ve let our players here at Athens run some of the drills, and it gets some of these younger girls the chance to communicate with them and get to know them.”

The Golden Eagles softball team has made it to the state championship game in three straight years, falling short in 2023 before reclaiming their title on May 15 over Hartselle High School.

“Not many people thought we were going to make it that far,” Lily Lowery, a rising senior on the championship-winning softball team, said. “We just did something spectacular. We had one heartbeat, we all knew our role for the team.”

Their role has changed from players to coaches in just a few weeks, working to train the next generation of Golden Eagles who will look to carry on their prestigious legacy.

“In a few years, a lot of these girls will be up here playing for us,” Barnes said. “Being able to see the banners out here on the scoreboard, it goes to show the work it takes to play for us. Our girls get to be out here and pass on what they learn, and give them a little bit of our mentality.”

The first day of the camp featured six different training stations for the young and energetic campers to hone their skills on the diamond while withstanding the summer heat.

“This sport has given me so much, so I figure it’s only fair that I help to give back to it,” Lowery said. “It’s been really cool to see all the kids smiling and laughing, even though it is scorching hot, they are having fun learning more about the sport.”

According to Barnes, the focus of the camp is teaching the fundamentals of the game which includes hitting, bunting, slapping, fielding, throwing and base-running.

“We’ll do it for three days, and then at the end of each day we’ll have some scrimmage time set up for them,” Barnes said. “We also have some games set up for the young girls to keep them entertained out of the heat.”

Each day of the skills camp is set to start at 9 a.m. at the Athens High School Softball Field. According to Barnes, they had 40 kids registered on the first day of the event.

The number of campers not only helps fund their program, but it also showcased the community support the team has received all season long.

‘I’ve had a lot of parents, and a lot of fans, congratulate us on the win,” Barnes said. “I know it means a lot for our players, because it validates all the work, and the accomplishments, they’ve achieved.”