High School Softball Super-Star

This week on my sports blog I will be blasting to the past to give you guys an inside scoop on my exciting high school softball journey and give inside look on some of my biggest accomplishments and favorite memories. I attended Columbia High School in Lake City Florida and participated on the varsity softball team my freshman through senior years, 2013-2017. Luckily for me, I had the opportunity to start all four years of high school, playing and competing against some of the best teams in the state. My freshman year wasn’t the easiest, I was the only freshman on the varsity team and was going against seniors to earn a starting position on the field and within the batting line up. My original two positions, catcher and first base, were taken both by three year starting seniors so I had to go digging around to find another position to play at. I got moved around a lot but found myself at second base. At second I had two other players fighting for that spot, one senior and one sophomore. Countless hours practicing learning the new position and perfecting it to the best of my ability, I found myself starting there the first game of the season and the first game of my high school career. Overall, I had a very successful freshman debut and ranked  at the top for batting average and fielding percentage for the team. Continuing on to my sophomore, junior, and senior seasons at Columbia High School I became the starting catcher and batted third in the line-up for the remainder of my time playing. I was blessed with the ability to play softball and was honored with many awards and accomplishments while playing for Columbia. I lettered five seasons at Columbia High School in Lake City Florida and was a three-time Florida Class 7A first-team all-state honoree. I was named the 2017 Gainesville Sun “Big School” Player of the Year according to MaxPreps.com. Over the course of my career I have batted .412, recorded 119 hits, 81 RBI and a .525 on-base percentage. Of my 119 hits, 49 have been for extra bases – 20 home runs and 29 doubles. I batted a prep career-best .565 in my 25 games as a senior and was 39-for-69 at the plate. Scoring 32 runs and drove in 30 runs of my own. I walked 20 times and striking out just once in 90 plate appearances my senior season at Columbia. I had 15 doubles and eight home runs as a senior and posted a 1.130 slugging percentage and was named the MaxPrep / NFCA National Player of the Week during my final prep season. I went 4-for-4 at the plate twice during my senior season and drove in a season-best four runs on four occasions. I also got selected as the Florida 7A Defensive Player of the Year and named to the PGF High School All-American team in 2017. I batted .321 as a junior in 78 at-bats, registering 25 hits, 20 runs, six doubles and two home runs and earned first-team Class 7A Miracle Sports all-state honors my junior season as well. Batting .406 to go along with seven home runs and 22 RBI during my sophomore season. Also, during my junior campaign, I threw out 17 of the 20 runners who attempted to steal on me and had a 1.000 fielding percentage which was the best on the team. For my play that season, I was named the Lake City Reporter’s Player of the Year, as well as a Class 6A Miracle Sports all-state first-team selection. I ended my senior season with a bang, winning the district championship against Gainesville High School. Hitting a three-run home run this game to aid the win. We continued on and made it to the semi-finals for the state. Columbia High School softball was easily one of the best experiences I have ever been able to experience in my life and I wouldn’t change anything that happened. It gave me the opportunity to get better at the sport I love, gave me the chance to meet life-long friends, and helped me get a college softball scholarship.