By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

GUYTON – Once high school softball rivals, former Effingham County standout Enna Lackey and former South Effingham star Chloe Turner didn’t mind combining forces last week to help local youths at SEHS’ hitting camp.

Lackey, an outfielder at Georgia Gwinnett College, and Turner, a second baseman at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, gave instructions and shared experiences to attentive campers of varying abilities in the Mustangs’ batting cage.

“It’s a little weird to be here because (South) was our rival. But this is community. We’re all family here,” Lackey said.

Both Lackey and Turner just finished their sophomore seasons in college. Lackey hit .333 and was the Continental Athletic Conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2023, but slipped into a reserve role and often was used as a pinch runner in 2024.

The Grizzlies won their conference championship in both years and advanced to the NAIA World Series in Columbus.

“It’s been neat to see how Georgia Gwinnett works,” Lackey said. “(College ball) is a lot more strict (than high school). You’re more responsible and accountable.

Turner struggled as a freshman, but had a productive second half of 2024 and finished with a .258 batting average as USCB transitioned into Division II’s competitive Peach Belt Conference.

“It was a little rocky my freshman year, but we have a lot of young players and we’re trying to grow together as a team,” said Turner, who has learned to count on former ECHS rivals Addie Reynolds, Jaci Coleman and Caleigh Eubanks – now Sand Shark teammates.

Next season, signee Emma Reynolds (another Rebel) will join the Beaufort waters.

While Lackey admits to attending Effingham County’s softball camp as a youth, Turner was loyal to the Mustangs’ camp.

“Since we’ve been through all the learning processes, we can share that and give back,” Turner said. “I think as a little girl at camp, I was stressed. I looked up to the high school girls and I was just nervous. Now I’m in this position and I’m enjoying every moment with these kids. I love it. It’s nice to come back to my high school and help girls who want help.”

It’s also nice to go to a rival high school and share. It’s not that hard to get along. The game of softball has a way of bringing people together.

“I think college kids are looked up to in camp,” Lackey said. “We can show (young players) the experiences we have and give them an idea of what they can look forward to in the future.”