Where are they now: Carly Joiner

Ramsey Sullivan
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Like so many collegiate athletes in 2020, Carly Joiner has had her season of athletic games taken from her because of COVID-19.

Joiner, a 2018 graduate of Aucilla Christian Academy and a Monticello resident, knows what it feels like to work for something for months on end, just to have it taken away at the last second. She has spent the last two years playing softball at Valdosta State University (VSU) since she graduated from Aucilla. She was expecting her college experience to go smoothly, especially since she gets to attend her dream school.
“I love VSU. It’s close to home, so my parents (Carl and Paula Joiner, of Monticello) can always come to my games to watch me play,” said Joiner. “VSU is the perfect school for me.”

However, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joiner did not get to finish her 2020 season as a Blazer. It was heartbreaking for every athlete who had to go through this time, but it feels even worse when you’re on a road trip with your team when you find out. That’s exactly what happened to Joiner and the Blazers.
“We were on the way to Tennessee to play when Coach got a phone call,” Joiner recalled. “Then, we all felt the bus turn around. That’s when Coach stood up and told us that the season had been postponed. It was scary, we didn’t know when we would all play together again.”

Unfortunately, no one, including the coach, knew how long this cancellation of games would last. After arriving back at campus, the team went out to dinner together and some girls even stayed in Valdosta for a few days, not knowing when they would see each other again.

When the girls went home for spring break the following week, they didn’t know that they wouldn’t return to campus to play together as a team again in 2020. Thanks to the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility to all spring athletes, Joiner still has three years of eligibility left to play the sport she loves, and she plans to take advantage of that opportunity and get her Master’s degree.

Joiner, a middle infielder turned first baseman, is just excited to see what her next season will bring. “I’m just excited to be back with my teammates and for the opportunity to play softball again,” said Joiner.