The thought of two Cartersville High softball players being named to the Georgia Dugout Club Elite 80 all-star team would not have been all that easy to fathom a couple of years ago, but just as the Lady Purple Hurricanes' program has shown improvement over the years, it's players have demonstrated considerable growth as well.

After a season in which they won 10 more games than the year before, the Cartersville softball team received more good news this month as Kailah Rain and Hunter Irvin were chosen to play in the Elite 80 Showcase being held today at Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock.

Rain, a junior, has watched her team's stock rise, as well as her own, after enduring a winless season as a freshman.

"I think it's a great honor to me just because I've worked so hard to get to where I am, worked so hard to be in that Elite 80, to be one of the top players in the state," she said. "I've worked my butt off for years now, so it means a lot to me and I know that ... I've had a lot of great coaching along the way so ... I know those coaches are proud of me and I know my parents are proud of me and I know my teammates are proud of me."

One of her teammates, of course, will share in the moment. Irvin, a sophomore, was selected as an outfielder for the Elite 80 -- as was Rain.

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