While all three recipients of the Division III, Section IV softball player of the year award were from the Verde Valley, only Camp Verde High School senior Paige Church can add more to her high school resume.
“It was super surprising, especially to get it as a junior from a small school,” said Church, who, along with recent CVHS grad April Dodge and former Sedona Red Rock High School pitcher Emily Aitken, earned the award and was also named honorable mention all-Division. “I’ve played travel ball with Emily and April for a couple years and to be able to be compared with those girls is amazing because they have such great attitudes.
“There’s really no other way to describe it other than as an honor, definitely. All that extra work I put in the offseason paid off.”
For more than the past six years, that extra effort of Church, who currently holds a 3.65 grade-point average, has extended to not just the spring, or even late winter season preparations, but the whole year.
“It’s more than every inning,” she said. “Every single pitch, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes.
“That’s the thought process I want to get the girls in this year. No matter what happens, to feel like we did all we could to win the game. Not leave the field feeling like we lost just because we had a bad game.”
Church has been committed to softball at that level since she was playing softball for Camp Verde Middle School and for the Juggernauts, coached by her current Cowboys coach, Henry Smith.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, July 29, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
