On Wednesday afternoon at Washington High School, senior Lilly Shaw signed her letter of intent to enroll and play softball for the Wittenberg University Tigers. Shaw was surrounded by family, friends and coaches to celebrate this monumental moment in her life.

She spoke about how this opportunity came about.

“I visited Wittenberg without any intention of playing softball at first. Their coach reached out to me and I was talking to him for about a week or so and then had another visit. The campus was absolutely beautiful and felt like home. The girls on the team made it feel like home, the coaches were awesome and understanding about everything, and it instantly became my top choice.”

Shaw stated that she was also considering Capital, Ohio Christian and the University of Dayton.

She shared her favorite softball memory.

“Last year against Unioto, I hit a really good shot to the outfield and they had a tall centerfielder. She caught the ball, but none of my coaches thought she caught it. So, I ran the bases thinking I just hit a home run but then found out that I really didn’t.”

She then talked about her passion for softball.

“Softball has always been a huge part of my life. I watched my older sister play when I was little before I started playing myself. I have traveled all over the place for this. We haven’t always had the greatest record for school softball, but the coaches have always been phenomenal here. Pitching has been a big part of my softball career and I’m excited to continue that in college.”

According to Shaw, she plans to be a pitcher and utility player for Wittenberg.

“That’s the plan. I know that as a freshman, I probably won’t be in the plans to get a lot of playing time but I’m gonna work my butt off as much as I can and prove that I want to be there.”

Shaw is planning to major in education with a minor in sports management. She wants to teach somewhere between kindergarten and fifth grade students.

“I want to be a teacher really bad. I’ve always said growing up that I wanted to be a teacher. I feel like God is calling me to do this and I’m very excited.”

She explained that her favorite subject in school is math and that her favorite teacher is Mrs. Renick.

“She has taught me a lot in the past three years that I’ve had her.”

Shaw finished by giving thanks.

“I have a lot of people to thank. I want to thank my grandparents, my parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, travel ball coaches, school ball coaches, everyone has helped me in a different way and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Washington head softball coach Trevor Patton shared his thoughts on Shaw.

“She is just an incredible person, an incredible student-athlete, an incredible teammate. She is just a great young lady. She is such a natural leader. When we were doing our preseason open gyms that are optional, she was in the middle of basketball season but would still come every once in awhile. As soon as she would walk in the gym it was like a different attitude and atmosphere in a good way. The other girls would stand up a little straighter or yell a little louder or be more locked in, and that comes from her presence and what she demands of her teammates, but in a positive way. It’s just incredible to see. She holds her teammates accountable but does it in a way that lifts them up and doesn’t tear them down

“She is honest, upfront and very supportive. So many times, I have watched her pull our underclassmen aside and tell them small things that can improve their game. She doesn’t have to do that but it’s just who she is, and they welcome it because she does it in a friendly, positive way.

“I was the JV coach for a few years and she was with me her first two years and she was a leader there too. She stepped immediately and was a big part in us reigniting our JV program. The effort she has put into our program since her freshman year, we are seeing the payoff of it today throughout the entire program.”

Patton spoke about when he first met Shaw.

“During the COVID shutdown, that next year we had limited seating at ball games. We were broadcasting games so that the community could still support the kids even if they couldn’t come. One night, we were short some people on the broadcast team so I went to the girls basketball coach and asked her if there were any underclassmen she trusted to help me with it. She mentioned Lilly and another girl and they did rock, paper, scissors to see who had to be my color commentator. Lilly lost, and I handed the young freshman a headset and introduced myself. By the end of the game, she was doing the play-by-play and it was great. She was such an intelligent and well spoken kid who was knowledgeable of the sport and was just a natural. A couple months later we started softball season and she was on my team.”

He finished, “There are a lot of challenges stepping into this role after a year of being deployed, but having Lilly right there has just been instrumental in helping this process. She has taken to heart all the initiatives that we have tried to implement with our mindset, focus, and goals, and just ran with them. I couldn’t ask for a better kid to start my career with at this level to be able to rely on. We will definitely miss her when she is gone but are excited to support her as a Wittenberg Tiger. I know she will thrive there. I’m excited to enjoy the rest of the season with her and support her and see her grow in her next journey.”