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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

Davie’s softball team was intriguing to watch last year, with pitcher Riley Potts putting up all-time great stuff as a sophomore and a junior and with Jadyn Davis coming up huge all the time as a hitting machine. Intriguing, yes. Fulfilling, no.
The War Eagles won 17 games for the second time under third-year coach Nathan Handy, but they finished third in the CPC for the second year in a row and lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year.
But it’s not hard to see Davie, which went 17-7 in 2023 and 17-9 last year, taking big strides in 2025. There’s three college signees and experience all over the field.
Any and all Davie talk starts in the circle. Potts is an enormous talent. Last year she posted a 1.50 ERA in 88.2 innings with 25 walks and 176 strikeouts. She owns the 1-2 spots in single-season Ks with 176 last year and 155 in 2023. She holds the career record for Ks (356 in 238 innings). The Valdosta State signee also holds the Davie record for Ks in a game with 16.
“We throw 5-6 different pitches on a normal basis,” Handy said. “Her spin is very good, and she backs that up with 60 mph speed. With spin and speed and being able to hit spots, it’s just hard to compete with that. She’s definitely got the stuff to carry us a long way.”
Davis, who hit .469 in 2023 and .471 in 2024 when she blasted four homers and knocked in 33 runs, has already had one heck of a career … with two seasons to go. Her limit for 2025-26: Sky.
“She’s our best contact hitter,” Handy said of the catcher/shortstop. “She can hit for power. At our scrimmage the other day, she just missed hitting one out. Very rarely does a pitcher figure out how to pitch to her. Her defensive side is top-notch, too. She’s just that all-around athlete. The best thing about her is she’s a great kid. If you tell her to do something, she’s going to do it instantly. She’s not going to ask questions.”
Handy is hoping Carleigh Croom, who has signed with Queens, and Hanna Steinour, who is headed to Brevard, make major impacts. Last year Croom, the center fielder, hit .327 with 19 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Steinour, a catcher, hit .300.
“Offensively, Carleigh caught fire last year,” Handy said. “She’s had some big moments. One that comes to mind is that she had a home run against West Rowan when we were in that 13-, 14-inning game to tie it in the 10th or 11th inning. Last year she worked her way to our leadoff batter and probably will hold that down this year as well.
“Hanna and Riley work really, really well together. They’ve just been friends so long. We definitely need Hanna’s bat, though. For us to find ourselves at the end of the season fighting for that conference championship, we have to have Hanna. Hanna’s got all the ability in the world to do it.”
Davie is rock-solid at third base with senior Raelyn Lankford (.343, two HR, 14 BB, 11 SB).
“Raelyn’s defensive abilities at third base are kind of unmatched,” Handy said. “She rarely makes an error. She is just fearless, scared of nothing. She plays further in than most third basemen play.”
First baseman Addie Brown is a player to watch after hitting .280 with two homers as a freshman.
“Addie caught more fire as the year went on and started producing more hits and big moments,” he said. “We’ve got to have her just as much as anybody. At our scrimmage the other day, she was another one that knocked one off the fence. She’s got a very good glove at first base, and she’s smart. She really does know the game very well.”
The corner outfielders will be senior Delaney Parsons and sophomore sister Landry Parsons, who hit .368 in 38 at-bats.
“Landry had a really good freshman year,” he said. “She got hotter as the year went on.”
If Potts needs a break, Handy can turn to Lankford (5.2 innings last year) and sophomores Raegan Davis and Brianna Tolar. The roster includes senior Alexis Frogge, junior Autumn McEwen, sophomore Brenna Altiers and freshmen Audrina Bledsoe and Peyton Presnell.
“We’ve got four pitchers,” Handy said. “I feel like we’re going to be able to support (Potts) a little bit more and give her a little bit of rest in some of these games.”
Davie is searching for its first regular-season title since 2018. Last year Reagan and West Forsyth tied for first at 12-2, with Davie a game back at 11-3 and East Forsyth in fourth at 9-5.
“None of us lost hardly anything,” he said. “I wouldn’t leave out East Forsyth because East is always battling. Last year East had an off year for them because they were so young.”