Freshman phenom: EJCHS alum Faith Grooms dominates in first year at Brenau

Faith Grooms had high expectations for her freshman season. But maybe not this high.
The former East Jackson softball star hit .386 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs with an eye-popping .702 slugging percentage in her first season at Brenau.
“I knew that it was going to be good, but I didn’t think it was going to be as good as it was,” Grooms said.
Grooms also finished with eight triples and stole 20 bases in 22 attempts in thriving on the collegiate stage. She ended up leading Brenau in nine offensive categories as a freshman, including home runs, triples, RBIs, runs, hits, total bases, slugging percentage and steals. The rest of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) took note of her numbers, naming her Freshman of the Year and making her a first-team all-conference selection.
“The only reason you knew she was a freshman was because it was on the roster,” Brenau coach Devon Thomas said.
Grooms said she was surprised to have earned such accolades in her first year.
“I was super shocked when they called my name, but I knew that I had worked hard for it, so I take a lot of pride in that,” Grooms said.
For the rest of this story, see the June 20 edition of The Jackson Herald.