Sports
Batchelor signs with Faulkner
By Kyle Austin-Sports Editor
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Cynthia Batchelor sits with family and coaches as she prepares to sign her softball scholarship with Faulkner University. From left, (front) mother, Pamela Carroll; Batchelor; and brother, Blake Batchelor; (back) Faulkner University head softball coach Hal Wynn; brother, Trey Morris; and WHS head softball coach Randy Stough. -- Herald Photo/Kyle Austin
Cynthia Batchelor may not have even started her senior season in softball at Wetumpka High School, but she already knows where she’ll be playing college ball.
Batchelor, accompanied by friends, family and teammates, signed a letter of intent Monday to play softball for the Faulkner University Eagles.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I always kind of knew my decision would be to play there.”
Faulkner’s coaching staff apparently shared that outlook. Eagles’ head coach Hal Wynn said he has had his eye on Batchelor for some time.
“We’ve been watching her since she was in the ninth grade,” Wynn said. “Her athletic skills have greatly improved, and she should do well at Faulkner.”
Wetumpka head softball coach Randy Stough said Batchelor, a catcher, brings one of the best work-ethics to the game of any player he’s coached.
“She’s a good leader; she leads by example,” Stough said. “She always gives 100 percent, and then some.”
He also called Batchelor the “quarterback of the softball team,” meaning that she calls the pitches on the field, studies the batter and “does a lot of things besides just play the game.”
Batchelor was playing third base for Stough back in her seventh-grade season when the coach needed someone to fill in at catcher. Stough said 10 games into the season, she loved the position and asked to stay.
“She caught that first year, and she’s loved it ever since,” Stough said.
Batchelor said one of the most attractive things about the program at Faulkner was her familiarity with the organization and coaches. Wynn said her personality was a great fit for the kind of players Faulkner recruits.
“She’s got an unbelievable personality; I’ve heard nothing but good things about her, from her teammates to her teachers,” Wynn said. “That’s the kind of student-athlete we’re looking for.”
Wynn also said how fast Batchelor develops at the college level will determine how much and how often she will play.
“Right now, she has a couple of good catchers to learn behind, so she will have a good foundation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Faulkner feels like a good fit to Batchelor, who said she is looking forward to living on campus and enjoying college life, but is glad she is still close to home.
Plus, she said the softball team “usually plays some of the high teams in the country.”
“They play pretty good ball, and, hopefully, some of us new people can help out,” she said.
