The softball teams in Troup County play their final regular-season games this week as they refine and hone their skills before region tournament play begins.

Troup and LaGrange each have one regular-season game remaining, while Callaway has three left.

Troup and LaGrange will both be in Columbus today against Shaw and Columbus, respectively.

Callaway has three games remaining, all at home, including today’s key Region 4-AAA game against Rockmart.

Callaway hosts Hardaway on Wednesday on senior night before wrapping up the regular season on Thursday against region opponnent Douglass.

Troup can wrap up the third spot in its Region 5-AAAA sub-region with a win at Shaw today.

LaGrange (9-0) and Columbus (9-2) are the top teams in the sub-region followed by Troup (3-6) and Shaw (2-6).

The teams from Troup’s sub-region will match up against the teams from the other sub-region in the first round of the region tournament, which will be held in LaGrange this year beginning on Thursday.

Troup coach Blair Shimandle likes the position of her team heading into today’s game.

“They’ve worked really, really hard all year,” Shimandle said. “We’re in a really good position at this point based on the heart they’ve been playing with, the hustle they’ve had.”

Troup has been hit hard by injuries this season, but it is in good shape as the season winds down.

Early in the season, starting pitcher Taylor Morris was lost with a broken hand, and she is finally back to full strength.

Last week against LaGrange, Morris pitched seven strong innings in a 3-2 loss.

Also, standout third baseman Alex Duncan missed a lot of the season with an injury, and her return to the lineup has provided a lift as well.

Shimandle said injuries provide opportunities to some of the younger players on the team to gain valuable game experience, and she believes some young players have done an exceptional job of filling in.

As for today’s game and beyond, Shimandle said “I’m confident that as long as they play to their fullest and leave everything on the field, they’ve definitely will put themselves in a great position to be successful in the postseason.”

LaGrange, meanwhile, will try to put the wraps on a perfect regular season in region play when it heads down I-185 today to play Columbus.

Win or lose, LaGrange will be the sub-region’s top seed in the region tournament, but head coach Jan Jones wants her team to finish things up with a win.

“We need to handle Columbus,” Jones said. “One of our goals was to be undefeated in the region and we’re close. We’ve got to take care of (today).”

Jones said her team has a lot of momentum going into the final game, especially after last week’s 2-0 victory over Columbus at Granger Park.

Still, Jones said “it’s going to be a lot more difficult going there to beat them.”

One plus for the Grangers is the return of senior infielder Savanna Wooten, who earlier in the season suffered a pulled hamstring. She recently was cleared to play, but Jones emphasized her action may be limited so she doesn’t re-injure herself.

“The good news is we’ve done well without her,” Jones said, as some of the younger players have stepped up to fill her shoes. “When we get her (Wooten) back, we’ll be that much stronger.”

Of the three county teams, Callaway will have the busiest week, hosting three games, the last being a makeup game from earlier in the season.

The Lady Cavaliers, now 13-12 overall and 4-4 in the region, entertains a tough Rockmart team they lost to on the road 6-1 on Sept. 5.

Wednesday is senior night when Hardaway comes looking to avenge a 4-0 loss to Callaway on Sept. 12.

Then on Thursday, Atlanta school Douglass High School visits to make up for a rainout earlier in the year.

“We’ve got a region game against Rockmart,” Callaway head coach Nick Drescher said. “I don’t think it’s going to have an impact on the region standings, but it’s a good opportunity for us to play a good ballclub getting ready for the region tournament next week.”

Callaway can finish with a winning regular-season record by winning two out of the three games.

Callaway’s region tournament begins Monday at Central-Carroll.

In private-school softball, LaGrange Academy hosts Flint River on Thursday in a key GISA Region 4-AA game before going on the road against Windsor Academy on Saturday.

LaGrange Academy wraps up its regular season next week before heading into tournament play.

LaGrange Academy is looking to win a second straight state championship.