Cayman Coughlin '16 Recruiting Profile

Along with most every other serious softball player out there, I have dreamed of playing softball in college since I was in T-Ball, and along with most academic athletes, I take my education very seriously. My future college education is what is most important to me. It will set the course for my future and is key to my career success. I also believe that my level of softball skills are strong enough to play for a highly competitive college program.  I have always been competitive in most everything I do. I find that my friends and I compete in the classroom with each other just as much as we do in our various sports, and I like that challenge.   I have played and have been successful at every sport I have participated in which has included swimming, water polo, karate, basketball, soccer and volleyball. I also have been fortunate enough to carry the leading role in numerous musical theater productions in elementary school and junior high school as well. Yes, I have been blessed and very grateful for all that I have achieved.

So why am I a good candidate for your school? Well, I am probably not very different from most of the recruits' profiles you read- my work ethic both on and off the field is very rigorous. I know how to work hard and do what it takes to succeed in school and in softball. My GPA and class load should prove my commitment to being a good student, and athletically, well, I wouldn't even begin to try to play college softball if I didn't believe I had the talent and the skills to play at the level, and I believe I do have those skills!  What I truly believe that may set me apart from many other recruits is the struggles I have had to overcome. 

As I have said, I have been blessed with being a good athlete, always the starting player, never the bench warmer. In 11 years of playing softball, I have only sat the bench twice, first when I was chosen for the 10-U All-Star team as their 13th player for a team that should have only carried 12 .  My All-star coach asked that I be allowed on the team because of how hard I worked.  He used to call me "Nails" because he thought I was tough as nails. I was the youngest girl on the team and the only thing I did that entire summer was help the catcher with her gear and pinch run for her. The rest of the time was on the bench. That was a long summer but I learned from it.

The second time being on the bench has been with my current travel ball team. Almost two years ago, my travel ball coach decided to merge with a higher profile team.  Before we switched teams, I was the starting third baseman and doing well. When we combined the teams, I found myself playing behind a girl that had been on the team for a long time and that was great at playing third base. There were no open "starting positions"-we just had to work hard and wait. The only thing I did for the first 6 months was to sit the bench, learn, and be ready to be thrown in the line up to hit if they needed me. I can't tell you how many times we were losing the game, it was the last inning, bases were loaded, and my coach calls me off the bench to see if I could hit after being on the bench all weekend. It was his test whether or not I was mentally tough enough. I can't say I hit a homerun and won the game every time, but I battled, little by little and made it to the starting line up. I still had to wait to play third base until our 3B, now a senior, until she got committed to a college program. So, I just kept trying to learn as much as I could from her on how to play 3B and continued to keep my batting up. Well, it wasn't until the beginning of this summer that I had the chance to start. I had waited a year and a half to start a game, and the only reason I was allowed to was because we were playing at a younger division showcase that our starting third baseman couldn't play. The next week at practice, my coach tells me that I will be playing 1st base instead of 3rd this summer because he needed me there instead. So, I have quickly learned a whole new position in a very short period of time and have done pretty well. I am just happy to be on the field playing-wherever I am!

I have played and continue to play with a lot of great players that have never had to be on the bench. They have never had to experience the frustration of not being able to play, never having to really "earn" a starting position nor have they ever been benched. I know the reality of college softball and that not every player gets to start or even gets to play, and I know that this can be a big "wake up call" for many players and that they can't handle it, but I have been there-I have gone through that battle of being humbled and coming back, working hard, and waiting for my turn.  I believe that my character in these situations have enabled me to persevere and become even a stronger player and person.  I know that I will be better prepared to play at a college level than most other players, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to do so.