CARROLLTON, Ala. — The bat is nearly as big as Kacy Noland.
When you’re 8 years old, it sometimes can be difficult to find a bat that is the right size.
These days, that bat would look small in Noland’s hands because the girl in the picture nestled in the glove on top of the table has grown up. A look to the left and to the right is all it takes to trace the maturation of Noland to a standout softball player at Pickens Academy and for the High Intensity travel ball team. Those pictures show a player who has grown to 5-foot-6 — or taller depending on the shoes — and grown to love a sport she first started playing in a Dixie Youth league in Aliceville, Alabama.
“I really enjoyed it when I first started. I just never thought I would actually be the player I am today,” Noland said. “I was tiny back then. I really couldn’t do a lot. I wasn’t very powerful with anything.”
On Thursday, Noland tied her youth, high school, and travel ball days together by signing a National Letter of Intent to play softball at Alabama-Huntsville.
“It has not sunk in,” Noland said. “Time flies, so treasure it while you can. I have had the privilege of playing with so many people and I have made a lot of friendships over the years. I would not take that back for anything.”
Noland opened her signing ceremony by thanking all of the coaches who have a role in her development. She credited Pickens Academy softball coach Wade Goodman, pitching coach Gary Thomas, and coach Rodney Johnson for their roles in helping her realize a goal to play softball in college.
Noland also thanked her parents, Barrett and Tammy, for pushing her to do her best in everything she does. She said her parents instilled that message from an early age and it is one she always has tried to follow.
“They expect the very best out of me, which helps explain why I hate to lose,” Noland said.
Goodman, who also has coached Noland in basketball, said the message Kacy’s parents sent at an early age helps explain why she is so competitive. He said Noland has started in softball since the sixth grade and has played a variety of positions in her career at the school.
Last season, Pickens Academy finished as the runner-up to Macon East Academy in the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) Class AA State tournament. Noland, Shelby Lowe, and Lizzie Shirley were named to the all-tournament team.
The honor capped a season in which Noland went 13-3 with a 1.04 ERA. She also has a .482 batting average and hit 10 home runs.
“She is a good athlete. Don’t get me wrong, but the thing that has gotten her to this point is her being as competitive as she is,” Goodman said. “She honestly hates to lose. She really does. You can’t coach that. I really don’t deserve any of the credit. Everything goes to her.”
Goodman said Noland’s attitude sets a great example for her teammates. He said he sees Noland push her teammates and expect the best out of them, and they return the favor.. After watching Noland move from third base and to the outfield to shortstop and pitcher, Goodman believes Noland will play first base or in the outfield in college. He said Noland’s competitiveness is the same on the court as it is on the diamond.
“Everybody says they hate to lose, but she plays like she hates to lose,” Goodman said. “Not everybody does that.”
Noland has polished her competitive nature as a member of the High Intensity travel ball organization, which is based out of Northport/Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She said a “growth spurt” she hit when she was a freshman at Pickens Academy has helped transform the little girl in the red uniform into the young woman who dominates in the circle and crushes balls at the plate. She hopes to do a little bit of both when she takes her skills to Alabama-Huntsville. She felt like she was at home when she visited the campus and met the players and coaches.
With another high school season to go, Noland said she expects Goodman to keep pushing her to get better and stronger and to help her develop her skills. She also will continue to push herself so she can live up to the standards her parents set for her when she was little and tried to make that big bat look natural in her hands.
“They have always told me that I pretty much could go wherever I wanted,” Noland said, “so I knew them pushing me would benefit me in the long run, and I am so glad I did.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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