Photo courtesy of Alex Chaney
Courtesy of Sand Mountain Reporter
Sardis High School senior Barit Snead signed a softball scholarship with Gadsden State in May.
Snead (pictured above) excelled in cross country and softball for the Lady Lions and once considered pursuing a cross country career in college.
“I [decided] around the end of softball season last year that I wanted to do softball instead,” she said.
Sardis head softball coach Richey Lee said that Snead is blessed with excellent speed.
“We utilized Barit as a pinch runner and courtesy runner as a freshman and sophomore, and as she continued to grow and develop, she was able to work her way into playing the outfield and starting for us this year,” he said. “In Barit’s transformation from seventh grade until now, a huge factor is her arm strength. She’s worked really hard to get stronger and stronger, and her work paid off.”
Snead helped the Lady Lions go 21-16-1 and win the Etowah County Schools Tournament this past season.
Three of the Sardis’ four seniors on the 2024 roster will play college softball.
“Barit makes the 11th player to sign since I’ve started coaching the team, and that’s been 10 years,” Lee said. “Hopefully, we’ve got three, four or five next year. It still looks good for us, but we’ve got to find ways to put it all together.”
Snead said she will pursue general studies for pre-veterinarian at Gadsden State.
“I’ve loved every bit of it,” Snead said of her Sardis career. “It’s extremely sad to say I’m leaving, but all my memories, I would not redo anything, no matter how it’s turned out. I’ve loved the teams I’ve been with and I’ve enjoyed every year. My parents, my coaches and my teammates pushed me the entire time.”
On April 2, Gadsden State broke ground on a $10 million softball and baseball complex. It is expected to be complete in early 2025.
“Our state-of-the-art complex at Gadsden State is a powerful recruiting tool,” said Gadsden State head softball coach Ryan Clark. “Prospective students are seeing firsthand that investments are being made to ensure their athletic and academic success. It showcases Gadsden State’s commitment to excellence and success.”