This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior Laci Sykes. Over the past four years, Sykes has been a two-sport athlete. She has played softball for head coach Allan Byrd. This season, Sykes hit .269 with two home runs and 15 RBIs for a Cedar Ridge team that finished second in the Big 7 Conference. Last year, Sykes was the top player for the Red Wolves’ women’s golf team, coach by Chris Casey. She qualified for the 5A East Regional championships. She was also the top player for the Cedar Ridge squad in her junior season, where she became the first player since Olivia Aitkin in 2012 to qualify for the Central Regionals. Sykes didn’t start playing golf at Cedar Ridge until her junior season and she wishes she had tried it sooner. On the softball diamond in her junior season, Sykes hit .310 with 14 hits and 13 RBIs for a Cedar Ridge team that finished 2nd in the Central Conference. In the opening round of the 2025 3A State Playoffs, Sykes went 1-for-3 with a run scored as the Red Wolves defeated West Johnston 12-1. It was their first playoff win since 2019. After graduating from Cedar Ridge next moth, Sykes will attend East Carolina University and enter into their School of Nursing.
