Lady Raider ready to lead softball team in final season

Heading into her final season with the Three Rivers College softball team, coach Jeff Null is looking for outfielder Ann-Marie Simpson to lead the Lady Raiders for the upcoming season.

Simpson is a returning sophomore and was a member of the all-conference team with a .341 batting average, 33 RBI, and 27 stolen bases last season — and this season, she’s ready to do even more.

Simpson’s love for softball began as a child when she began playing at five years old, and after watching a few college teams play, the passion grew even stronger.

“What really got me into softball was watching the big schools like Florida and LSU play,” Simpson. “The more I watched them play, the more I knew I wanted to make it to that level someday, and from then on, I was playing all the time.”

It wasn’t until after attending her first college softball camp at 14 that Simpson realized she possessed the skillset to be a college player. She then knew that playing softball wasn’t going to be a hobby but her new way of life.

One aspect of softball that’s enjoyable for Simpson is the game's intensity and how something is happening during every play.

Along the way, softball has taught her a lot of life lessons on and off the field, she said.

“It’s a fun game overall, but the thing I like the most is it challenges you through all aspects of life, tackling your mental and physical side, and it just makes you much stronger, even as a person outside the game,” Simpson added.

Simpson said her approach to every game is to relax, have fun and play with no fear. As a perfectionist, she tries not to put much pressure on herself and takes it one game at a time.

“I'm coming down to my last years of playing, so for every game, I just do my best and let the rest take care of itself,” Simpson said.

Playing under Null has been amazing for Simpson. She loves how he cares about his players and shows, even outside of practices and games.

“He always keeps it light and fun, and no matter the situation, he can get the team smiling and laughing, and you just feel relaxed playing for him,” she said. “At the same time, he has that same intensity during the game. He's not afraid to get on you if you need to pick it up, and he's always challenging you to get better.”

Simpson is 100 percent energy all the time, Null said. One of the easiest things about coaching her is that you don't have to coach energy because Simpson always brings it.

“She's a leader,” Null said. “She leads by example and by voice. Simpson is just one of those players you got to have on your team to be successful. If you have someone do the right thing, others follow suit.

“For us this season, she's got to be right in the middle of the mix. I totally expect her to have a great year because she's prepared herself physically, and I believe she's ready to go.”

Coming into the new season, Simpson said her mental game would be a lot sharper this year as she struggled with trying to play perfectly every game and caused some minor issues with her play.

“It's going to be a long season, so I must take it game by game and just go out there and have fun,” Simpson said. This is my last year at this school, and I want to make it the best year. I just want to go out there, have fun, and play with no fear.”

Simpson said her main goal this season is to make the first team all-conference and get her stolen bases higher.

As a team, the main objective is to aim for state and work on growing closer and better, she said.