Photo Courtesy of Jacques Morin
Sadie Cecil: In her freshman season, Cecil led the Division II Mars Hill Lions with a .359 batting average. She also led the team with 55 hits, 43 RBIs, ten doubles and 18 extra-base hits. Mars Hill ended the season 31-17, 12-10 in the South Atlantic Conference. Cecil was the leading hitter for the Orange softball team during her senior season in 2025.
Ivy Younce: After four years with the Liberty Flames, Ivy Younce (nee Garner) signed with the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League in April. Younce has played seven games for the Courage this season. She is the first Hillsborough player to play for an American professional women’s soccer team ever. Younce, a defender, has logged 66 minutes. She was a three-time first-team All-Conference USA selection at Liberty and was the CUSA Player of the Year in 2025. Younce is also the first Liberty player to sign with a professional team. She remains on the roster for the Courage, which defeated the Orlando Pride 5-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Friday night. Younce played soccer and tennis in her freshman season at Cedar Ridge in 2018-2019 before transferring to Eno River Academy, where she spent her final three years but didn’t play high school soccer. She also was a member of the N.C. Courage U-23 team that was the 2024 USL W League Championship.
Carson Bradsher: Finishing her junior season at Division III Averett University, Bradsher was named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State first-team last month. She was also named to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference first-team and National Fastpitch Coaches Association second team. Bradsher led the ODAC with 65 hits, finishing among the top 20 in Division III. She also led the Cougars with a .442 batting average, 43 runs, and 70 total bases in 40 games. Averett finished 26-18 overall, 9-111 in the ODAC.
Mia Davidson: As the Little League Softball World Series starts this week at Stallings Stadium in Greenville, Davidson will play in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Pro Game on Wednesday. Davidson will be a member of Team Fernandez, coached by Lisa Fernandez, a former pitcher for UCLA. Fernandez is also the General Manager for the Utah Talons, which won its second consecutive AUSL Championship last week.
Mary Moss Wirt: The Elon softball team ended its season 18-33 and losing in two games in the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament at Hunt Softball Park in Elon. Wirt ended her senior season hitting starting 45 out of 47 games. She hit .227 with 15 runs scored, two doubles. Wirt was third on the team with 17 RBI.
Allie Carden: Also playing for Mars Hill, Carden played in eight games this season and hit .250.
Reagan Simmons: In her freshman season at Wingate, Simmons played in 36 games and hit .280. She was second on the team with six home runs and added 19 RBIs. A former catcher at Cedar Ridge, Simmons started 26 games and was sixth on the team with 41 total bases. Wingate finished 27-20 overall, 11-11 in the SAC.
Kimber Shambley: In her freshman season at Western Carolina, Shambley played in four games. She made her collegiate debut with a n RBI single in a 16-2 win over North Carolina A&T. A former first baseman at Cedar Ridge, Shambley was also named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll. The Catamounts finished 34-24 overall, 12-9 in the Southern Conference.
Charlotte Lowry: In her freshman year at Division II Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, Lowry finished 1-2 with a 5.85 ERA. In 26.1 innings pitched, Lowry also earned two saves, 13 strikeouts and 13 walks. She earned her first collegiate win over Converse on March 21, throwing three-plus shutout innings of relief, allowing only four hits against 13 batters. Lees-McRae finished 10-33 overall, 4-23 in Conference Carolinas.
Olivia Aitkin: A former three-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge, Aitkin finished her softball career at Division III Amherst College. Aitkin played in 14 games for the Mammoths, which finished the year 11-25, 5-13 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
