College Bound

October 28, 2009

Paige McDuffee

Commits to Louisiana State University

 

Paige has decided she wants to be an LSU tiger…….

 

Paige came to a try-out when she wasn’t quite 11yrs old and the rest is history.   She was a very shy young lady and wanted to find a team that wanted her.   She played any position we asked her to that day including pitching.   That day at the try-outs she had incredible velocity for a 10 yr. old and had only been pitching for a short time.   I remember that day well and when we asked her to be a member of our team she literally had tears in her eyes. Two pitching coaches, two hitting coaches, and 2 organization changes later I have seen her grow in many ways, physically, mentally, and most of all psychologically.  She is not that shy kid anymore and now walks with confidence wherever she goes. We have come a long way since that day in the spring.

Paige has never been a kid to brag about herself and gets a little embarrassed when others try to force it upon her. I will do my best not to embarrass her but I want to impress of how proud I am to know a young lady that has the talent to interest multiple schools in the SEC, PAC 10, Big 12, ACC, and Big 10 all before she plays a game as a Sophomore.  Every offer she received was for a full ride. The list of schools is not only a who’s who of college softball but also a list of World Series contenders. 

Paige has been an integral part of qualifying for Nationals for the last 4 years. She has worked thru injuries, played when she was not 100% and finally got the chance to play at this year when she was completely healthy and had a fantastic tournament this summer in Sioux Falls , SD. 

 

She called me after her first visit to LSU and told me what an incredible experience she had just experienced. Coach Girouard, Coach DeFeo, and Coach Hobbs are getting an incredibly gifted athlete and more importantly a great young lady for their program. She is one of the hardest working athletes I have ever seen, be it pitching practice, defensive practice, hitting or recovery from injury she works 100% all the time. A natural leader, Paige is and will be a great role model for the younger athletes in our organization. 

 

In the world of travel/select softball it is much more the norm to have played for many coaches. I consider it a privilege to say I have been her coach since she was 10 yrs. old.  

 

Paige I could not be more proud of you, as one of my original 3, I am honored to say… 1 down …2 to go!!!   

 

Congratulations Paige,  the work has just begun... now its time to get ready to be a Tiger!!!!