ROCKINGHAM – Junior softball player Greyson Way has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales.
Following her complete game no-hitter in the fourth round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs Saturday against No. 13 Hickory Ridge High School, this is Way’s second time this spring earning the recognition. She earned it during the second week of the season in the middle of March. But since then, she has pitched every game this season to lead the Lady Raiders as they enter the Western Regional Finals for the second season in a row.
Athletic Profile
Name: Greyson Way
Age: 16
Year: Senior
Spring Sport: Softball
Position: Right Handed Pitcher
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5’-9”, 180 pounds
Experience: 10 years
Athlete of the Week Stats: The Richmond Senior High School varsity softball team nabbed the No. 1 overall seed in state playoffs just two weeks ago, and since entering play in the second round after an opening round bye, Way has been lights out from the circle. In the three postseason games she’s pitched, she’s collected a no-hitter, two shutouts, two-mercy rule wins and has completely shut down opposing batters in the box by racking up 29 strikeouts.
In Richmond’s 12-2 second round win over No. 17 Independence High School, Way tossed six innings, gave up just three hits and two earned runs, while striking out six batters. A couple nights later in the third round, she threw just five innings as Richmond tallied 17 runs against No. 8 Lake Norman High School. In that game, Way allowed just two hits and reached double digits in strikeouts with 10.
And her most impressive performance this postseason, and perhaps all year, was against No. 13 Hickory Ridge in the fourth round. Way faced just three batters over the minimum, as she didn’t allow a single hit in seven innings. It was her first complete game no-hitter for Richmond, as she had a pair of five-inning no-hitters against Pinecrest High School earlier in the season. She also blasted the Lady Ragin’ Bulls with 13 strikeouts, tallying that mark for the third time this season.
The junior pitcher has also helped her cause at the plate during Richmond’s postseason run, as she bats in the No. 3 hole in the Lady Raiders’ lineup. In the three games so far, she’s gone 7-for-11 at the dish (.636 average) with a home run, two doubles and three RBIs.
On the season, Way has earned a 24-3 overall record and currently has a neat 1.79 earned run average. According to Maxpreps, she is also the No. 1 strikeout pitcher in 4A classification, having sat down 241 opposing batters in 164.1 innings of work (which equates to 1.47 strikeouts per inning). Of the 617 total at-bats she’s pitched, Way has struckout 39 percent of her opponents. The second closest pitcher in 4A, in terms of total strikeouts, is Jesse Mathis of Hoggard High School, which has recorded 199 Ks in 144 innings pitched. Way has also pitched 10 games of 10 strikeouts or more, with her career high being 15 against Whiteville High School in a 1-0 in March.
You’ve thrown several no-hitters this season. Describe where the Hickory Ridge no-no ranks in terms of pressure and significance.
“This no-hitter definitely meant the most to me out of all the ones I’ve thrown this season,” Way said at practice Monday. “It was in the fourth round of the playoffs and it helped get us back to the Western Regional Finals.
“I actually didn’t know I had a no-hitter going,” Way revealed. “I try not to think about that kind of stuff during a game. But Kayla (Hawkins) came up to me in the sixth inning and told me in the dugout that I had a no-hitter and only needed three more outs. I told her not to say that so it wouldn’t jinx me — and I just cleared my mind and threw my game and got help from my defense behind me.”
You’re heading back to the Western Regional Finals — what are the expectations amongst you and your teammates? How do you get past last season?
“Last year is definitely in the back of our minds, especially for the girls who were on that team,” Way said. “We don’t want this year to be a repeat of last year. Coach (Wendy) Wallace tells us at the end of every practice and at the beginning of every game that we need to come out ad score as early and often as possible. That really motivates us.
“The deeper we go into the playoffs, the more we know we’re going to play better all-around teams,” she continued. “But we just want to come out in game one (of the Western Regional Finals) and win. It would be a huge advantage to win at home and then go on the road up a game. We want to be up in the series.”
Why does this year’s team have a legitimate chance at winning the 4A state title? What’s different now than the last couple of seasons.
“It’s the chemistry we have as a team,” Way said confidently. “We are one big family and no one brings us down. We also all have the same common goal of wanting to win a state championship.”
For Way’s previous Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week article, click here.
