Ringgold senior trio signs college softball papers
They’ve been significant members of the Ringgold High School softball team for the past four seasons and three key cogs in helping the Lady Tigers win back-to-back Class AAA state titles the past two seasons.
And this past Wednesday, they made their future softball plans official.
Senior twin sisters Amber and Jade Gainer will both be heading a little up the road to play for local powerhouse Chattanooga State, while fellow senior Riley Nayadley will be heading a little bit longer up the road to suit up for East Tennessee State University.
“Homeruns in the playoffs, big hits in the playoffs, defense, and they helped pull us through any type of region game or big rivalry game,” Ringgold head coach Daniel Hackett said. “They were always right there in the middle of it. They’ve just been phenomenal.”
Amber, an outfielder, burst onto the scene as a sophomore when she hit .350 to go with three doubles, one triple and four homeruns with 27 runs scored and 15 stolen bases, earning a first-team All-region selection in 6-AAA.
She followed up with first team All-region and All-state honors by batting .364 as a junior with two doubles, three triples, four homeruns, 17 RBIS, 35 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.
She added another All-region first team award this past season after hitting a careerbest .424 with five doubles, three triples, six homers, 22 RBIS, 52 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. The All-state awards for 2020 have yet to be announced.
“It almost feels like I’m not awake right now, like I don’t believe what’s going on,” she said, shortly before signing her
letter of intent. “But it’s definitely opened my eyes to the fact that I am a senior and life is going by pretty fast, much faster than I thought it would.”
She said location was one reason she chose Chattanooga State.
“It’s not too far from Ringgold and I can still stay at home,” she continued. “It’s also beautiful there and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, but my jaw just dropped when I got there.”
She said she believes she will continue to play in the outfield with the Tigers.
“I hope to bring speed and laughter to the team,” she said, adding that she plans to one day become a pediatrician. “I want to just have a lot of fun times. Even though I’m going to be a freshman, hopefully I can still bring everyone together and keep everyone as a family.”
Jade, a third baseman, hit .270 as a sophomore with three doubles, three triples, one homer, 11 RBIS, 20 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, but broke through in a big way as a junior by hitting .394 with six doubles and five homeruns to go with 28 RBIS, 35 runs scored and nine stolen bases to make first team All-region and first team All-state as an infielder.
Then this past season, she picked up another first team All-region nod by boosting her average to .439, with 13 doubles, one triple and four homers to go with 28 RBIS,
39 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
“This day is very exciting,” she said. “It makes me realize that I’m graduating high school and I’m really excited to be going to Chattanooga State and furthering my (playing) career. I’m just excited to step on the softball field again as a Chattanooga State Tiger.”
Not surprisingly, she had reasons similar to her twin sister as to why she selected Chattanooga State and what she hopes to bring to her new team.
“Right when I stepped on their campus and saw it, I just felt comfortable,” said Jade, who wants to become a physical therapist. “It wasn’t too big or too small. It was perfect, clean and nice. (Chattanooga State) Coach (Blythe) Golden was amazing. I love her energy and the way she talked to me. She made me feel like I was already part of the family.
“I’ll bring lots of speed, laughter, fun, defense and hitting. Hopefully, I’ll be a great asset to the team.”
Both sisters said that while they are happy to get to continue their softball careers together at the same school, they were prepared to follow their own paths.
“We wanted to stay together, but we weren’t planning on it,” Amber added. “We had some of the same colleges that we both liked, but we also had different ones (we were looking at). This just worked out.
“It already makes me more comfortable. I was expecting not to go to college with her, but when (Chattanooga State) wanted both of us, I was like,
okay. It’s a great way to start college because after these next two years, we’ll probably spread out and go our separate ways, so this will be a great way to settle into college life.”
“I’m happy she’s coming with me because if I need an outlet, I can just go to her,” Jade added. “But I can also experience things for myself too since we won’t have the same classes.”
Meanwhile, Nayadley said she can’t wait to get to ETSU, where she first verbally committed back in October of 2019.
“I just love the players and I really like the coaches a lot,” she began. “When I went up there for visits and stuff, everyone was so nice and the campus is so pretty. It’s not too far from home, but it’s far enough.
“I’m very excited. I really can’t wait for the next chapter.”
Nayadley was took over at shortstop from the first day she stepped foot on Hazel Brown Field as a freshman and responded by hitting .346 with six doubles, one triple and one homerun. Although her average fell to .273 the following year, she increased her power numbers to 11 doubles, one triple, three homeruns and 24 RBIS.
However, it was her junior season when she put it all together, blistering the ball at a .479 clip to go with 13 doubles and 38 RBIS with a .705 slugging percentage. She also had one triple, four homers and scored 35 runs, while committing just four errors in the field, earning herself first team All-region and All-state honors.
This past season, she was named the 6-AAA Player of the Year after hitting a career-high .488 with 42 total hits, including eight doubles, two triples, four homeruns and 29 RBIS. She scored 25 runs, drew six walks and stole a pair of bases.
Nayadley, who is currently undecided on a major, but considering education, said she expects to play the middle infield at the next level.
“I hope to bring a lot of heart and hustle, and hopefully my bat too,” she said.
Hackett said that what he could say about one, he could say about all three, who were all named to the rosters for the Georgia Dugout Club Fastpitch All-state Games on Friday.
“The sky’s the limit, really,” he shrugged. “I don’t think they have reached their potential yet. There’s fine-tuning they can do, but their bats were so consistent. You can coach them up a little bit more, but I still think they’ll find a lot more in the game. They won’t stop learning and that’s what they were the best at with me. They won’t stop getting better at the game.”
Along from the on-field heroics, Hackett said there will be big shoes to fill when it comes to keeping the dugout in a good mood.
“It was just the fun they allowed all the other girls to have,” he said. “One time, it would be Amber, but if Amber wasn’t feeling it that day, it would be Jade. They would lift the team, make them happy and smile and then Riley would throw in a joke. They have all allowed this team to have more fun than they all expected to have.”