Jeff Craft’s back might be sore, given the pressure that was on it.
In 2019, the Iva, South Carolina, native was tasked with a daunting challenge — replacing one of the most successful high school softball coaches in America.
That coach was Gary Adams. The man who spearheaded Crescent softball for 43 years before retiring in 2019, leading the program to 33 consecutive region titles and over 1,000 wins.
And oh yeah, Adams has a whopping 19 state championships under his belt, too.
“Oh my gosh, yes,” Craft said when asked if he felt pressure when he took over the program. “What Gary and Cathy (Gary’s wife) have done with Crescent softball is just phenomenal. Describing Gary as a legend is an understatement. Our program is where we are right now because of them.”
Craft can handle pressure, though. In his seventh season, the Tigers have brought the state championship back to Iva after defeating Hanahan 12-7 in Game 2 of the three-game series on May 28 at Hanahan High School, the program’s first title since 2013.
“I’m just thrilled for our kids and coaches,” Craft said. “These playoffs have been a whirlwind. We’ve battled and have been behind in seven of our eight playoff games. This is such a reward, and all of the girls have worked extremely hard to get here. Just a special day.”
One of the unlikely heroes of Game 2 was senior pitcher Reyna Parker, who had only thrown in six innings all season before the game. But when Crescent was down 4-2 at the top of the 5th inning, and Hanahan had the bases loaded with one out, Craft depended on Parker to get the team out of a jam.
“She came into the game, got the two outs we needed, and shut them out the rest of the game,” Craft said. “She’s battled some injuries, and really didn’t play much this season, so it’s just a phenomenal story. She could’ve hung it up and been frustrated and pouted. But nope, that kid was ready for her moment. We talk about having an ascending mentality … she ascended.”
Parker couldn’t picture a better ending if she tried, as Crescent finished the season 30-4.
“Not going to lie, I was definitely kind of nervous when I got in the game,” Parker said. “But I thugged it out. And when we won, I actually couldn’t believe it.”
The Tigers’ confidence was undeniable. It didn’t matter how many runs they were down by; they knew that the 20th state title was theirs.
“There was no way we were going to lose that game,” said senior third baseman Madi Burnette. “Even though there were a couple of times that it might’ve looked like it to everyone else.”
The game ended on a double play by senior second baseman and North-South All-Star Topanga Ethridge. And despite being the one to drive the Tigers’ state title home, she made sure to share the credit with coach Craft.
“He’s played such a big role in our success, and he does not give himself enough credit for it, Ethridge said. “He puts in so much time and effort, and he really wanted it for us. When we won Game 1 and 2, you could see the pure excitement he had for us. It’s his first championship, too, but he just had so much joy for us.”
In the end, Craft proved that he didn’t need to supersede Adams’ legacy, but instead, he could create a path for his own.
“I’m a crier,” Craft said. “So there was definitely some emotion after the win. I hugged all the players, coaches, and, of course, my wife. We made a commitment not to drink soda all season long. So, we drank a whole lot of that when we got back to the hotel. And it’s ok, because we deserved it.”
Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her at KEJackson@gannett.com and follow her on X @KamxJack (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Crescent wins 20th SCHSL softball state championship
