Priceville standout learns ropes in college softball

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
HANCEVILLE - Caitlin Williams hoped that her sophomore season at Wallace State Community College would be something special.
And why shouldn’t it be? The Lady Lions’ sophomore rightfielder was a key component in the Wallace State’s march to the 2008 National Junior College Athletic Association’s national championship in Plant City, Fla.
And the hopes for a repeat are pretty high around the state’s top softball program. With 15 wins in the team’s first 19 games, the Lady Lions are already looking as a solid title contender.
But for the next month, Williams will be sidelined after injuring her knee in a recent game.
The 2007 Priceville graduate will have to show some patience after an MRI showed a bone chip off the knee cap that will sideline her for about three weeks.
The chip was causing pain because it would become lodged between bones in the leg.
Williams was hitting .200 with nine hits, nine runs scored and seven RBIs in 45 plate appearances before the injury sidelined the Lady Lions’ leadoff hitter.
But while her average is down, she is just four RBIs from last year’s high of 11.
Williams came into the season as the Lady Lions’ starting rightfielder, but she can play any position on the field, including several different spots in the infield.
The 2009 season hasn’t exactly gone as planned for Williams as she hoped for a strong start after getting a year’s worth of collegiate experience under her belt last spring.
Last season was like a dream for Williams and the Lady Lions. In the past year, Wallace has earned a national championship ring, had an opportunity to spend time with the governor of Alabama and played at one of the nation’s largest softball facilities.
Williams was a talented player coming out of high school, but she was one of the few Lady Bulldogs’ softball players to sign scholarships in recent years. While the school fields a competitive softball program, Priceville hasn’t made a big impression on state softball. But with players like Williams having solid careers on the collegiate level, the opportunity for more scholarships should be a strong probability.
Wallace State beat Santa Fe (Fla.) Community College 5-2 last spring in the championship game, the team’s 41st straight victory.
The Lady Lions are considered one of the top contenders again for the national championship. Wallace State won its first nine games of the season, but have fallen to 15-4 overall after losing three straight games in a tournament in Panama City, Fla.
The impressive season didn’t come easily. The Lady Lions put in a lot of effort to reach the national tournament last spring.
Williams credits that work ethic to the Wallace State coaching staff.
Williams hopes to continue her playing career next season at a four-year school
Right now, though, she wants to get healthy and help the Lady Lions get back to the national tournament for another run at the National Junior College Division I softball championship.