|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Former Softball: Leaving her mark – Ashley Ray and her dreamsEric Narcisse, Daily Advertiser, June 26, 2012 As a little girl, Ashley Ray dreamed about one day not only donning the softball uniform of a college program, but to also have such an impact on the team that she would end her career with a legacy that she and her family could be proud of. Although it happened a little differently in real life than in her dream, Ray successfully accomplished both feats in her four year college softball career, signing a national letter of intent out of high school with the nationally ranked UL Ragin’ Cajuns before spending the final two years of her eligibility with the Nicholls State Colonels. "Of course I had set goals for myself and I wanted to do good things in college," Ray said. "It was always a dream of mine to play softball at UL and it was always a dream of mine to do something big in college. I didn’t know what specifically, but I knew that I wanted to make an impact on the college level." Ray, who starred at Beau Chene from 2005-08 where she earned all-state honors as a sophomore, junior and senior, made the decision to transfer from her dream school to the Colonels as she was looking for more playing time. "I loved being at UL," Ray said. "I loved being in Lafayette. That’s where I’m from. But I knew that I wanted to be on the field and I wasn’t seeing the field as much as I had hoped I would in my first two years there. So I made the decision to transfer and whether it was the right or the wrong decision, I felt it was best for me." The decision to transfer provided Ray, who appeared in only 43 games including seven starts over a two-year span with the Cajuns, with the playing time she desperately sought and she made the most of it; hitting .368 with a school-record 17 home runs and 51 RBIs en route to earning Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year honors. "Softball isn’t like baseball where players can use college as a stepping stone for the next level," Ray said. "Softball players only have four or five years to play college softball and then it’s over. My decision to transfer simply came down to me having only two years left and I knew that I wanted to play."
Ray followed up her impressive junior campaign with a solid finish to her career as a senior, hitting .361 with seven home runs, 10 doubles and 29 RBIs. "At Nicholls I played every day for two years," Ray said. "I never lost my confidence while at UL, but I did question whether I was one of those players who were good in high school but not (good enough) for college. I knew I was good enough to play college ball and playing at Nicholls gave me the opportunity." Although it took leaving her dream school to put on her talents on display, Ray has no regrets when she reflects back on the career that was. "Everything I went through in college was an experience that you would have to experience for yourself to truly understand," Ray said. "I can’t put it into words, but I learned a lot of lessons. So few people get the opportunity to play college softball or play for a big name program and I got to do both. Playing softball was definitely worth it, because I got a college degree after graduating in four years and I got to fulfill my dream. I have no regrets." Follow prep editor Eric Narcisse on Twitter@tdanarcisse.
THE ASHLEY RAY FILEIs Nicholls State record holder for home runs in a season (17), home runs in a game (3) and slugging percentage (.666) in a career.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
