Broome to remain a Tiger at the next level
A key contributor on two state championship softball teams will be extending her career at the college level.
Ringgold senior Addi Broome recently signed her paperwork to play at nearby Chattanooga State after committing to the Tigers last month.
“It’s honestly like a dream come true,” she said of Signing Day. “My dream as a kid was always to become a college softball player. I started playing when I was four and I’ve worked hard these last 13 years, so I’m just so excited. I can’t wait to be a Chatt State Tiger.”
Broome played in more than half of Ringgold’s games as a freshman, seeing most of her innings at second base for a young Lady Tiger team that got into the state playoffs and won a first-round series over Lumpkin County before losing to Jefferson.
The following season,
however, Broome moved to first base and would stay there for her final three seasons.
She batted .364 as a sophomore with two doubles and
12 RBIs to pick up a second team All-Region honor, helping Ringgold go unbeaten in 6-AAA play. They parlayed a region title into a 31-4 campaign that saw them earn the
program’s first fastpitch state championship since 2005.
As a junior, Broome hit .265 and upped her power numbers with nine doubles and 15 RBIs. The Lady Tigers finished as the region’s No. 4 seed, but made another incredible postseason run to win a second straight state title.
This past season, she finished with a .277 average, five doubles and her first career homerun to go with 15 RBIs and 18 runs scored as Ringgold got back to the second round of state.
She was also named to the Region 6-AAA All-Academic Team in her final two seasons.
“Addi has been the ultimate team player,” Ringgold head coach Daniel Hackett said. “She’s been very unselfish many times by putting her team above herself.
“She really came on strong for us in her junior and senior seasons with consistency and power (at the plate).”
Despite playing first base exclusively the past three years, Broome said she would likely be going back to second base next season. She also added that she was impressed with Chattanooga State head coach Blythe Golden, who guided her team to 37 wins, a No. 12 NJCAA Division I national ranking and a No. 9 seed for the NJCAA national tournament in Yuma, Arizona this past season.
“I just love Coach Blythe,” Broome said. “She’s just awesome and I just heard that she develops players really well. She’s going to work with me to become a better player at the next level. I’m also excited be going (to a junior college), because they can develop me and I can go play at a bigger university later on if I want to.”
“Hopefully, I’ll offer them some leadership going in, some defensive work, and some offense as well.”
Hackett added that he had high hopes for his former player.
“She’s just a very reliable player and student who’s going continue to grow and just get better in everything she does,” he said.
Broome said she was considering business as a major.