‘A dream come true’: Daughtrey signs with Millsaps
Published 11:00 am Saturday, December 7, 2024
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Chambers Academy’s own Olivia Daughtrey has signed on to play at the next level. The senior will play softball at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
The first baseman signed her letter of commitment to the DIII program in front of friends and family on Friday.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for today,” Daughtrey said. “…and feel so loved, having everyone be there to watch a dream come true.”
The senior is hoping to continue to improve during her last season as a Rebel. She comes off of her most productive season yet. As a Junior, she ended with a .345 batting average, 47 RBIs and nine home runs for the Chambers. According to head coach Jeff Hines, Daughtrey will be the team’s captain during her senior season.
“She just has that leadership quality. And it carries over from sport to sport. She was a leader in the weight room in the summer, pushing girls to be better and to get stronger,” Hines said.
Hines has gotten to know Daughtrey both as a softball coach and basketball coach, a team she is also a captain of. He spoke highly of her before she put pen to paper.
“This is always an exciting time for me as a coach, to see the culmination of hard work be rewarded by being able to play at the next level,” Hines said. “This is not hard work from this past summer or the summer before. This is hard work from a long time ago.”
With so few high school athletes making it to the next level, Daughtrey worked to become a sought-after player. She played with Easton, a travel ball team when she wasn’t wearing the blue and white.
The power-hitter was working with a recruiter to find the right college for her. When that recruiter was offered the head coaching job at Millsaps, Daughtrey paid him a visit.
“Immediately I fell in love with the school, the environment, the atmosphere, current players, and [the coach] was overall, a great person, great coach, just seeing all his accolades that he had throughout his coaching career…I knew immediately then that the search was over,” she said.
The lefty first baseman hopes to make an immediate impact as a Millsap Major by, “Working harder than ever to earn my spot.”
However, Daughtrey still has a final softball season ahead of her, which she plans to make the most of.
“I am looking to improve from last year. Last year, that was probably the best season I’ve ever
had,” she said. “[I’m] taking this year also as a teaching moment for younger ones that are coming up. It’ll be their first year of Varsity and [I’m] trying to be the best leader I can be for them.”
It seemed she was already a leader to many, as a crowd packed the bleachers in the Chambers Academy gym to watch Daughtry sign. The senior had her family by her side.
“It really was a truly amazing experience, getting to share that with them,” the softball player said.
