Macie Adkins (Class of 2023 ) and Emma Leath ( Class of 2024 ) both continue to work as hard in life as the duo did while kicking up dust at Cavalier Park.
The photo above was taken after what feels like a rare Varsity home game this spring, as the Lady Cavaliers have only played on The Hill in two of their seven contests thus far.
The team back in 2022-2023 made a serious run at adding a second State Championship and might have pulled it off had it not lost the big bat and slick glove of Lauren Alley early in the season. As it was, the team still earned the high seed in regional play and dropped a one run game to eventual champion Northside.
That heartbreaking 💔loss to the Vikings was the final time that Leath could look out in right field and see 👀 Macie holding down the fort for her. Adkins would take her glove to Southwest Virginia Community College for the next two years.
This story is designed to show the fortitude of two young ladies who might not have had the greatest athletic experience in college but maximizedesigned the time there to pursue their life goals.
We start with Adkins first, only to keep the story in the timeline order. Leath still had her Senior season left on The Hill when Macie packed up and headed over to Cedar Bluff.
Adkins shined on the Diamond 💎 across her two seasons at the Community College. But the school was struggling with the challenge of fielding a competitive team, and here in a few weeks, the school is set to shut down its athletic department as a whole.
While losing for games in her freshman year than in her four years at Carroll County, Adkins knew that softball might have opened the door to higher education, but the classroom is where you prepare yourself for the rest of one’s life. Yes, being named the team MVP might have been nice, the constant landing on the Dean’s List is what would pave the way to a future.
After finishing up her two year degree, the time at SWCC proved to be such a good fit that Adkins continued to work on her education there.
Seeing the potential in this way smarter than the two knuckleheads, she is standing between here, we worked on incorporating Adkins into our game day routine at Cavalier Park. Anything that might give an ounce or two in the confidence column would be a bonus for someone who has the potential to make a difference.
Adkins was at Cavalier Park when her schedule allowed to watch her former teammates play in the final season for Leath.
Leath would spend her last go-around chasing history in the form of Sydney Nester. Nester and her story is a fabulous one involving a driven young lady who turned learning how to throw a softball into six years of higher education.
Strikeouts and victories were the two hot 🔥 topics back in 2024, and by the time the season ended, Leath was part of a historical senior class that included her as the All-Time leader in victories, Alyssa Ervin as the school’s All-Time scoring leader, Jabin Talley as the All-Time leader in wins in Tennis 🎾 and Ashlyn Newman as the All-Time scoring leader in Soccer.
The Fab Four – great marketing !
Before Leath was able to throw a pitch at the next level, she encountered some health issues. The great news is that she has overcome the setback and, like Adkins, flourished in the classroom at SCC.
The NCAA runs a great TV 📺 ad talking about how few college athletes get to play ▶️ at the professional level. Sports can sometimes open a door 🚪 to secondary education. The challenge is to make sure you capitalize on the opportunity presented to you. Case in point, Miss Adkins and Miss Leath.
When I reached out to Head Coach Rick Nester about these two young ladies, he was able to speak about the two as if they were one in the same.
From Coach :
” I was lucky enough to have the pleasure to coach two awesome young ladies, and both of them are still finding ways to give back to the game of softball.”
” A coach could not ask for a better person, and that part always comes first. The athletic skill set is a bonus in each case, but it begins with the quality of a person.”
” Four things about 2 people, they were both Team First, had tremendous attitudes, unbelievable work ethics, and an ability to commit to any challenge.”
Former players like Sydney Nester, Tiff Moore, and Cheyenne Strickland set the bar quite high back in their day. Three remarkable young ladies who all blazed a trail.
The story is just beginning for Miss Adkins and Miss Leath. It’s too early to tell where their journey goes, but I wouldn’t bet against them. They both come from loving and supportive families, are wicked smart ( Kudos to Chuck Thompson & Co) ➕️ they are equally driven.
Eventually, we will return to Cavalier Park and play some more softball. Please know that Cavalier Park is a brighter place with the Softball Sisters in it !
Thank You to both sets of parents for raising children like these two !
A.S.P.N on The Hill 