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By Jed Blackwell

 

Tory Coile and her family fled Hurricane Helene in September and headed to higher ground.

Their home near Savannah, Ga. was expected to take a hit. Surely their cabin near Lake Lure was a much safer choice.

They were trapped for three days.

“We were visiting, because it was supposed to hit harder back home,” Coile explained. “It’s in Riverbend, and our bridge washed out. We stayed there for three days, and ended up going out the back way.”

In January, Coile and her family were back for good, moving to the area from Effingham, Ga. For Coile, a talented softball player, the move has been a good one, though it’s taken some adjustment.

“I like it,” she said. “It’s a lot different here. My last school was a lot bigger, with 2,000 kids, and there were two high schools. So there were about 5,000 kids in the county.”

In fact, Coile’s sophomore class, at around 1,000 students, was bigger than Polk’s student body.

That hasn’t stopped Coile’s progress on the diamond. The pitcher/first baseman has fit right in with the Wolverines.

“I’ve played since I was eight,” she said. “I played for the high school and the middle school back home, and the school I came from was a Top 15 program in Georgia.” 

Coile’s impact has been almost immediate. The sophomore has been able to give the Wolverines some valuable innings in the circle, something that can’t be overstated for a program that was strapped for pitching.

“Just having another pitcher is huge,” Polk County coach Phillip Miller said. “She gives us options. I think you’ll see a big difference in our record at the end of the year.”

Coile also provides a big boost at the plate, though she’s a little bit critical of herself.

“I haven’t been able to hit lately,” she said with a shake of her head. “But I just try to hit it in the gap. And I think I’m a good bunter, too. I like to bunt. I like to do whatever I can to help the team.”

Miller said that approach helps the Wolverines, too.

“It’s always a good thing when you can plug a bat into the lineup,” he said. “You can’t ever have enough bats.”

There’s also the matter of Coile playing at the high level of softball she saw in southeast Georgia, and some of that carrying over to her new teammates.

“We’ve got great senior leadership, and Tory just honestly blends right in with that and with the other leadership that we have,” Miller said. 

Coile was already on the radar of some college programs when she was in Effingham, and has considered playing at the next level. 

“The future’s bright,” Miller said. “She’s just a sophomore, and good things are coming.”

For now, though, Coile’s mind is set on what’s right in front of her.

“I want to be really good here, make a lot of friends, and have fun,” she said. “That’s been really easy up here.”