Morgan Crawford makes it official

Ridgeland senior softball player Morgan Crawford made it official on Wednesday morning as the softball standout signed her letter of intent with CarsonNewman University in front of numerous family and friends in the high school’s media center.

“I’m nervous,” she said just moments before signing her name on the dotted line, “but I’m very excited because I know that (CarsonNewman) is where I want to be. I’m very sure of my decision and I can’t wait to get up there and start playing softball and continuing my education.”

Crawford, who played her first two high school seasons at LFO, had a huge final year for the Lady Panthers as she helped lead the team to the Region 6-4A regular season and tournament titles. Ridgeland advanced to Columbus for the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 and went 1-2 with an opening-round win over No. 2-ranked Marist.

She batted .443 for the season with five doubles and a Walker County-best 11 home runs, while driving in 37 runs. She also stood out in the circle with a 13-3 record, three saves, 60 strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA in 101 innings of work.

She was named as the Region 6-4A Pitcher of the Year and was selected to the GACA Fast Pitch All-Star Game roster.

“We’ve accomplished a lot here and it’s been great,” she said. “It’s sad to think my high school career is over, but overall, I’m happy with what I did and with what me and the rest of our team accomplished.

“My teammates have been amazing. They are hilarious and they’re just a great group of girls. I’m going to miss them so much.”

“She plays high level ball in the summer too and I’m very proud of her for taking that next step and dedicating herself to playing college softball,” Ridgeland head coach Richie Wood said. “She’s going to an awesome program, an (NCAA) Division II powerhouse and Morgan will do well for them.”

Wood said Crawford’s coachability was a big plus in her favor.

“She’s got speed and (colleges) like speed,” he explained. “They’ll work with her on the movement of her pitches, but the thing about Morgan is that she’s willing to learn. She’ll try new things and work and work to get as good as she can within her abilities and she’s got a high level of abilities.”

Crawford plans to major in Special Education.

Parents Shawn Crawford and Suzy Lachney were on hand as their daughter, Morgan Crawford, signed her letter of intent to play softball at Carson-Newman. Also on hand for the ceremony were Ridgeland head baseball coach Scott Harden, Ridgeland Athletic...