ROCKINGHAM – Paige Ransom, a true freshman outfielder on the Richmond Senior High School Lady Raiders softball team, has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales.
One of only 11 freshman to ever play their ninth-grade season under head coach Wendy Wallace, Ransom has made a dent at the plate all season against opposing pitchers. Last week, during Richmond’s 11-2 non-conference win over Anson High School, Ransom etched her name in the Lady Raiders’ history book by crushing her record-breaking eighth home run of the season, the most in a single season by a freshman.
Athletic Profile
Name: Paige Ransom
Age: 15
Year: Freshman
Spring Sport: Softball
Position: Right Fielder
Years on Varsity: 1 Year
Height & Weight: 5’-2”, 120 pounds
Experience: 8 Years
RSHS Academics: As a just a freshman, Ransom doesn’t get to see many of her fellow teammates throughout the school day as she’s just down the road from Richmond at the Ninth Grade Academy. Having just finished up her third nine weeks on the A/B Honor Roll, a regular occurrence for Ransom, she’s enrolled in several honors classes this semester.
Ransom is taking English I Honors, Math I, World History I Honors and Weight Training Honors. Aside from her full schedule of classes, Ransom has also been able to maintain a 3.80 cumulative GPA. Her favorite class this semester is World History Honors with Mr. Curt Locklear.
“World History is my favorite class because I’ve always like learning about history,” Ransom explained. “I enjoy learning about World War I, the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression.”
RSHS Sports: Ransom is a single-sport athlete, with softball being her focus. She has grown up playing the sport over the last eight years, and joined the varsity team after eighth-grade season at Rockingham Middle School. When asked about the jump to the varsity level as only a freshman, she noted that it came as a bit of a surprise.
“This season has been really exciting, and a little shocking,” Ransom said with a smile. “As a freshman, I expected to maybe sit the bench more than I have. But I started hitting the ball really well. I think I’ve done pretty good so far.
“I love the girls and the atmosphere,” Ransom continued, noting that she enjoys the environment in the dugout. “It’s a really nice group and we pick around a lot.”
Hobbies: When she’s away from the diamond, Ransom enjoys relaxing and hanging out with friends and family. One of her favorite activities is swimming in her pool at her house.
Prior to the start of her high school softball career, Ransom was also a member of the Carolina Wildcats travel ball team. Having played with them for four years, Ransom traveled all around to face some of the toughest competition around the state.
Interesting Fact: Noting that she “didn’t expect” to be hitting the ball as well as she has through her first 18 games as a freshman, Ransom started to get rewarded by the team’s starting pitcher, Greyson Way, and some of her other upperclassmen teammates.
“When I started hitting all of my home runs early in the season, Greyson started calling me “Peggy,” Ransom explained as her interesting fact. “I don’t know where it came from. But the team just started calling me that and it’s stuck, and been a running joke this season.”
High School Aspirations: With more than three years left before she graduates in the spring of 2021, Ransom has many things she’d like to accomplish while she’s a Richmond Lady Raider. First and foremost, she wants to graduate high school and maintain her good grades, especially her As, as well as stay on the Honor Roll each semester. Ransom wants to “hopefully join the (National) Beta Club” during her three upcoming school years at Richmond.
In terms of her post-secondary plans, Ransom has a couple of options she hopes to pursue.
“I’m hoping to get a scholarship for softball,” Ransom said. “I’d like to attend UNCW or Wingate. I’m thinking about studying art or nursing. I’ve always had a passion for art, and could see myself going into architecture or photography. Nursing also has a high standard as a career, and I may want to go into that, too.”
Mentor: When asked who a person is she looks up to as a mentor, Ransom immediately chose Ninth Grade Academy Weight Training teacher Jay Jones. Also a member of the Richmond varsity football coaching staff, Jones has impacted Ransom on and off the field.
“Coach Jones is a very religious guy,” Ransom said of her Weight Training coach. “And he’s very passionate about what he’s doing all the time. He’s motivated me to stay on track in school and in softball. And he always encourages me to push through obstacles.”
Athlete of the Week Stats: In the top of the fourth inning against the Lady Bearcats last Wednesday, Ransom dug into the box with no outs and fellow teammate Taylor Parrish on first base. On the first pitch from pitcher Cydney Livingston, Ransom cracked a two-run bomb to dead center field, her eighth dinger of her freshman year. That shot gave her Richmond’s all-time freshman single-season home run record, surpassing current junior Way’s tally of seven from 2016.
Aside from her personal record-setting week last week, Ransom also played a part in the Lady Raiders clinching their sixth-straight conference title. Following her big performance against Anson, Ransom was part of an explosive lineup Friday that set the school record for most runs in a game, as Richmond breezed past Seventy-First High School 34-1.
In that game, she batted three times, was hit by a pitch, drew a walk and smacked a two-run double in the second inning. She scored three runs, and was one of six Lady Raiders to record a two-bagger in the game, setting yet another school record for most players in a game with a double.
On the year as Richmond heads into the final week of the regular season, Ransom currently leads the team in home runs (8) and RBIs (26), and is second on the team in batting average (.458). She’s also just behind junior teammate Savannah Lampley in second place in slugging percentage (1.000) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.509).
You’ve set the freshman single-season home run record this year. Describe what that feels like and what’s working for you at the plate. Has having this type of season as a freshman surprised you at all?
“It’s been pretty exciting,” Ransom stated. “I didn’t know about the record until after I broke it. Until this year, I didn’t hit a lot of home runs and I don’t consider myself as a home run hitter. I don’t try to think about (hitting home runs) when I’m up to bat — it’s not something I worry about.
“And I’m a little surprised with how well I’m hitting the ball,” she continued. “I never thought I’d hit as many (home runs) as I have. I’m just seeing the ball really well. And the speed (of the pitches) isn’t as different as I thought it’d be, so I’ve been able to adjust.”
As the regular season winds down and into the playoffs, describe your season in a couple of words.
“This season has been great and exciting,” Ransom commented with a smile. “I’ve had a lot of fun with the girls as a group and the coaches are nice.
“We’ve done really good this season,” she concluded. “It’s what I expected us to do and now we have to go out and with the conference tournament.”
Coach’s Corner: Head coach Wendy Wallace knew Ransom could contribute to the varsity team, but even she is blown away by the freshman’s consistency and power at the plate. Initially brought on as an outfielder with the ability to pitch late in games if Way ever were to get into trouble, Wallace has been pleased with the way Ransom has progressed this season, including her ability to solidify her starting role in right field.
“I tell all the girls that if they can hit the ball, I’ll find a place to play them in the lineup,” Wallace said. “Paige has hit consistently even in offseason workouts and during tryouts. We didn’t expect her to hit eight home runs, but it’s nice, and she’s continued to step up.
“She’s given us a big spark at the bottom of the lineup,” Wallace continued about her No. 7 hitter. “I hope for our 7-8-9 hitters to hit .300, but Paige has been really successful and is hitting over .450. Paige works really hard every day, and she’s really quiet. But she’s opened up a lot this season, and we joke around with her a lot when she takes a night off and doesn’t hit a homer. She knew that she worked hard to get a varsity spot.”
