First WC softball recruit looks forward to strong start

Emily Ditmore made history when she became the first player to sign a letter-of-intent to play softball for Weatherford College.

And now that the program is officially up and running, the freshman pitcher from Azle intends to live up to the expectations that come with being the first player to ever have her name on a Lady Coyotes softball roster.

“It's really a strange feeling, but a great feeling,” said Ditmore. “There's a reason she (WC coach Dottie Cupp) picked me first. And now I have to show everyone why I was the first one.

“But I've tried my best to be a leader since my freshman year of high school, so I look forward to the challenge.” In fact, Ditmore has had to assert herself since she began playing baseball at the age of 5 with her brothers in T-ball. “I liked that. It was fun, and I wanted to prove that I was just as good as them,” said Ditmore.

Her family history connected to baseball and softball runs deep. Her grandfather was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. “But I'm definitely a Rangers fan,” she said with a grin.

Ditmore, who plays first base when not pitching, is used to winning. In her four seasons at Azle, the Lady Hornets reached the playoffs each season, including getting to state her sophomore year.

“We had a great program, and by far my sophomore year was the best,” she said. And even though the Lady Coyotes are a first-year program, Ditmore doesn't want to wait long to start winning. But then, she doesn't think they'll have to.

“The fall season went great. We played some good four-year programs and did well,” she said. “I think being a first-year team makes you set the bar high. You're the ones setting goals, making the records.

“Not many people get that chance, and I think we're going to have some success.” Cupp said Ditmore is living up to expectations, with the promise of even more to come. “Emily has been a great addition to the softball program. She has had a strong fall, and I am looking forward to seeing what she can do in the spring,” said Cupp.

Ditmore said one of the greatest challenges of playing in college is no longer being THE star of the team. “We were all the best person on our high school team, but as a whole we're meshing together really well,” said Ditmore. “It makes us have to work even harder because we're all on equal ground and at any time could have our spot taken away.

“For me, the thing I need to do is focus on my pitching.” Ditmore said being with a new program has also rekindled her passion for the sport. “People see you're with a new team and they think, `Oh, they're not that great,' so you want to go out and make an impression,” she said. “You play with more fire. We want to show everyone we can play with anybody.”

As for life after Weatherford College, she'd like to continue playing, but her career takes precedence. “I want to go somewhere that has my degree program,” said Ditmore, who plans to study forensic science. “I want to be part of the FBI's analysis unit.”

But for now, she's concentrating on looking for ways to help Weatherford College start a winning tradition in softball that rivals baseball. “It didn't take them long at all to establish a tradition of winning,” said Ditmore. “That's what we want to do.”

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by Rick Mauch