Ashton Stalling makes college decision official
After committing back in early December, LaFayette High’s Ashton Stalling finally made it official on Friday as the senior signed her letter of intent to play softball for NCAA Division II Lincoln University (Mo.) in front of friends, family and coaches.
“This means a lot to me,” Stalling said. “I’ve always wanted to play (college softball) since I was little, so this is like a dream come true. I definitely found the right school. I think I’ll be helpful to them and they’ll help me also.”
Stalling went 12-4 with one save in the circle this past fall with the Lady Ramblers, striking out 67 batters in 99 innings and finishing the season with a 1.77 ERA. Offensively, she hit .320 with nine doubles, a triple, two homeruns and 27 RBIs.
She helped the Lady Ramblers get back to the Elite Eight in Columbus for the first time in a decade and recorded a victory in a firstround game against Perry. Stalling was a first team All-Region (6-AAAA) pitcher and a second team All-State pitcher by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. She also earned second team AllRegion honors as a utility player in her junior year.
A three-sport athlete, Stalling takes pitching lessons from Kim Culbreth and also plays for Coach Steve Chattin and ProStar Fastpitch’s 18-U team.
“She is a one-of-a-kind athlete,” LaFayette head coach Meagan Base said. “You can call on her to throw any pitch and you know she’s going to execute it to the best of her abilities. She’s an all-around great athlete. She also played some infield and some outfield for us and hit in the top of our lineup.”
Stalling weighed several college offers, but was finally sold on Lincoln — located in Jefferson City — after taking a visit just before Thanksgiving. She also cited a good relationship with her future coach, Christine Engbers, who played at Dade County before a successful rebuilding stint at nearby Covenant College.
“It’s a little bit of distance away and it was difficult for me at first to decide where to go, but I think (Lincoln) is the right fit for me,” Stalling added. “I know I’ll be able to come back whenever I need to. I love the town and it’s a great campus. Plus, I’m going to be majoring in kinesiology and I hear they have a great kinesiology program.
“Coach (Engbers) is counting on me for pitching, so I hope I can get in there and play to the best of my ability. I also want to be able to play the field and hit like I’m supposed to.”
Base added that Stalling’s work ethic would serve her well at the next level.
“She’s going to go above and beyond what is asked of her,” Base said. “She’s also going to work hard
Parker would get the final three outs to record a threeinning save. The freshman allowed just one hit and struck out two, while Tennant picked up the victory. He pitched four innings, allowing six earned runs on two hits and seven walks. He finished with eight strikeouts. Tarver was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Tennant and Camillucci had two hits each. in the classroom and make sure her grades stay up. We’re definitely going to miss her next year.”
homer as part of a four-run third inning.
Game 2 of the doubleheader would be a wild one as the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings, but needed two runs in the bottom of the eighth to post a walk-off win.
Ringgold nearly won it in the seventh, but failed to score after putting the first two batters of the inning on base. Northwest, who took a 7-6 lead after scoring four runs in the top of the sixth, pushed home a run in the top of the eighth.
But in the bottom of the inning, Tarver hit his second double of the game and later stole third base while Broome drew a walk. With two outs and down to his last strike, Camillucci came up clutch again with an RBI-single to plate Tarver and send Broome to third. One pitch later, freshman Kyle White laced an RBI-single to right to score Broome with the game winner.
Tarver finished with three hits and one RBI. Camillucci had two hits and drove in two. Tucker had a pair of doubles and drove in one run, while Broome, Tennant and Schley also had one RBI. Ringgold (7-2) used five pitchers with Kenyon Ransom getting credit for the victory.