Ryleigh Merritt '23 Recruiting Profile

Hello from Hurricane Ryleigh! My mom gifted me this moniker when I was three because of my very talkative nature and abundance of energy. She always said you would see (or hear) me coming a mile away, that I would hit with gale force, and that I only stopped when my energy was totally depleted. She was right, and that's how I live my life. I give everything I have to everything I do. I was a little late to the game of softball, having only started playing in the local rec league at age nine. But once I found the game, I never looked back. I love this game more than anything else. The dirt diamond is the place I feel most at home. I began as a catcher but transitioned to pitcher at age eleven. Since then, I have been privileged to coach with amazing former pitchers/coaches Holly Currie, Sydney Littlejohn, Vann Stuedeman, and Morgan Lashley. I hope to follow their lead to a college softball career. I am already trying to follow their lead in giving back to the game I so love by mentoring young ballers (age seven to eleven) in my free time.  Of all my accomplishments, that is the one of which I am most proud.

I cannot promise to be the best player. I can promise you that I will always give MY best. I can also promise you that I will work harder than anyone else. I will never give up. I will never stop practicing. I will never stop trying to be better than I was yesterday. And in all things, I will follow my life verse: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23)