May 19, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
Eight teams in Class 3A will be competing starting Tuesday, May 20 for a TSSAA Championship in girls fast pitch softball and the DeKalb County High School Tigerettes is among them.
(Click link below to view state tournament bracket)
The Tigerettes (23-5-1) will face McNairy Central (24-8) in game one of this double elimination state tournament to be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at McKnight Field #1 in Murfreesboro. WJLE will have LIVE coverage with the Voice of the Tigerettes John Pryor on AM 1480/FM 101.7 and on the LIVE audio stream at www.wjle.com. The winner will advance to the next round against either Dyer County (31-9) or Unicoi County (23-8) Wednesday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at Starplex #1 . The loser will play Wednesday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at Starplex #3.
DeKalb County, champions of the district regular season, district tournament, region tournament, and sectionals, are looking to end the year with the program’s first ever state title.
Tigerette Coach Ethan Duke told WJLE Monday in a video interview shown here that he knew from the start of the season that this team was special.
“The girls were excited the moment February got here and we started practice, and we said we would not stop until we got to Murfreesboro. Words are only words but from the first day we stepped out on the field, I knew this team was going to be different. Now we are here (state tournament) and we won’t stop until the very last day,” said Coach Duke.
Seniors Kora Kilgore and Bryna Pelham have anchored the team, but Coach Duke said the supporting cast has more than stepped up to the plate.
“Along with our two senior leaders, Kora and Bryna, our other upperclassmen, sophomores and freshmen have done exactly what they said they were going to do,” Coach Duke continued. “ Its great to have senior leadership and I applaud those two (Kilgore and Pelham) for all their accomplishments but our juniors like Zayleigh Bain have been a primary player this year, Tatum Young has come along after not playing softball for her entire life except for the last two years and the transition she has made from soccer to softball has been really something. Our sophomores, Hannah Brown, Brooke Fuson, and Riley Wilbur are doing big things and then our freshmen have come in and contributed. There was a lot of expectations on their shoulders when they got here but they have done exactly what we wanted them to do. Its a team effort. That’s how you win. I’m super proud to say I’m part of this program,” he said.
In the pitching circle, Coach Duke said Kora Kilgore has been nothing short of spectacular. “Kora has been special probably since she first stepped foot on the dirt back in tee ball. She knew for herself that she would not stop until she became a very storied player in DeKalb County softball history. As of today, Kora has over 300 strikeouts but if you ask her, she will say she still has work to do,” said Coach Duke.
Asked if Kora’s pitching prowess is more effective because she is a lefty, Coach Duke said “I think it is and because of her stature she comes from a different vantage point. A lot of her pitches have so much movement on them that a lot of these hitters have not seen and that’s what I think may give us a little bit of an edge going into this tournament. I don’t think a lot of teams have seen somebody like Kora. If that does give us an advantage all we have to do is back her up offensively,” said Coach Duke.
As for Tuesday’s game, Coach Duke said McNairy Central looks to be very similar to the Tigerettes. “We have done a little research on McNairy Central. They seem to be very similar to us. They have a UT Knoxville commit on their team. She is a go getter. She pitches but she is going to UTK as a utility player. We don’t take anybody for granted but if we go and play DeKalb County Tigerette softball I don’t think there are a lot of teams that can handle it,” he said.
Coach Duke added that the Tigerettes are hoping for a huge turnout from DeKalb County at the game Tuesday.
“We appreciate the community support. If you can come and watch us I know the girls would love to see you there,” Coach Duke concluded.