From teammates to rivals
Heritage’s Anderson, Young set to square off in college
Teammates the past four years, Heritage pitcher Kelsey Anderson and catcher Abbie Young have shared plenty of success and good times together on the field.
The next time they play on the same field, it will be as college rivals.
Both standouts signed on with regional and national junior college powers on Wednesday. Anderson will be suiting up at nearby Chattanooga State, while Young officially joined the squad at Walters State, which is one of Chattanooga State’s biggest rivals in NJCAA Region VII.
For Heritage head coach Megan Crawford, seeing two of her former players move on to the next level is a thrill.
“I’m super proud of them for continuing to play the game and committing to making it happen,” she said.
Anderson called Signing Day “very exciting”.
“I’ve dreamed of this every day since I was a little girl, so this is really a dream come true,” she explained. “I feel like (Chattanooga State) is a good choice because it’s close to home. I really didn’t want to go too far away and it’s a really good program.”
Anderson went 10-2 with a 2.78 ERA as a sophomore to earn 7-AAAA second team honors. She was named to the All-Region honorable mention list the past two seasons. As a senior, she made 12 starts in the circle, throwing 51.1 innings and finishing with a 5-2 record. She posted a 3.27 ERA and struck out 46 batters against just 10 walks.
“For the 2024 class, they have a bunch of pitchers coming in, so we’ll take some rotations,” Anderson continued. “Some people will be starters and some will be finishers. We’ll definitely be able to use all the power we can get.”
Crawford said Anderson was part of a good 1-2 punch on the Heritage staff, first with current University of Georgia pitcher Rachel Gibson and the past three seasons with Addie Edwards.
“(Kelsey) just gave us a different type of pitcher that puts great spin on the ball,” Crawford continued. “She’s just worked hard over the last four years and has really grown in pitching and in her knowledge of the game. She’s been a great kid for us and a great cheerleader for her teammates as well.”
Young, Anderson’s battery mate, worked herself into the starting lineup as a junior, but shined in her senior year with the Navy-and-Red.
Playing in 29 games, she hit a robust .345 with six doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs. She also drove in 16 runs to collect second team All-Region honors.
Young admitted to some nerves about playing in college, but said she was also looking forward to continuing her career in Morristown, Tenn.
“I wasn’t going to play (in college), but we ended up winning state and that’s when I decided that I had to keep playing because I wasn’t done yet,” she recalled. “I decided very last minute that I was going to keep playing.
“But I’m very excited about it. I really wanted to get away from home, but it’s not too far from home. I really like the program and the coaches a lot. It really felt like home when I visited up there. Hopefully, I can bring good leadership and help the team out defensively and offensively too.”
Crawford said Walters State was getting a “true gamer” in Young.
“She’s got some of the best framing I’ve ever seen in a catcher,” the coach added. “I know she’s gotten Addie and Kelsey and all of our other pitchers a lot of calls that maybe they wouldn’t have gotten just because of her framing skills.
“She also has a great arm behind the plate and she’s really good at communicating with me about the pitches and relaying that to her pitchers as well. Plus, she’s an all-around good person and teammate that works hard.”
Together, they played on GHSA Class 4A state championship teams in 2020 and 2023. Last year’s squad went 28-2-1, winning 20 straight to end the season. They went 7-0 in the state playoffs, outscoring its opponents, 58-6, with four shutouts.
Anderson is undecided on a major, but is considering special education or criminal justice, while Young plans to major in business and is eyeing a future in real estate.