(08-21-2023 12:43 PM)JMU1987UVA1998 Wrote:  

(08-21-2023 12:41 PM)JMU1987UVA1998 Wrote:  Saw this on Tech Sidelines Message board about Payton List's transfer to JMU:

"Hasn't been announced officially by JMU yet, but she's updated her bio on social media -- "@jmusoftball". Doing the reverse Kelsey Brown.

Payton's boyfriend is on VT's football team, which will allow her to stay relatively close, rather than potentially transferring back to a school near her home in western PA. Had heard rumors about Marshall and even Robert Morris. Seems even more unlikely now that VT and JMU will schedule each other, would be my guess.

Competition for innings there will be interesting, given a UVA pitcher (Molly Grube) also just transferred to JMU after starting 50 times in Charlottesville, and they join three holdovers on the JMU pitching staff already and a recruit from Auburn HS who won state player of the year in her class and three state titles in three years."

Appeared to be a bigtime hitter in high school according to her bio on Tech Softball website:

High School: State Champion from Beaver, Pa. ... Finished senior year with a 19-1 record in the circle, posting a .56 ERA and .102 opponent batting average ... She gave up only 52 hits and recorded 297 strikeouts ... At the plate, List had a .620 batting average with a .700 on base percentage and 1.310 slugging percentage ... She posted 11 home runs, with 12 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs ... Named a MaxPreps All-American in 2022 ... Struck out only five times ... Led her team to a WPIAL softball championship alongside a 21-0 record in the circle with a 0.64 ERA in 2021 ... Posted 233 strikeouts in 120 innings, as well as a .409 batting average with 23 RBI and five home runs ... Two-time All-Section honoree as well the Beaver County Times Female Athlete of the Year and 4A Softball Player of the Year (2021 and 2022) ... Adds Post-Gazette Softball Player of the Year (2021 and 2022) and PIAA State Player of the Year (2021 and 2022) to her resume ... As a member of the Williamsburg Starz, List went 18-0 in the circle with 144 strikeouts over 84 innings ... At the plate, she recorded a 1.465 OPS with a .476 average, adding 12 home runs and 51 RBI.

The Tech website also notes the schools which recruits were considering, which is interesting.

She picked Tech over us, Pitt, NC State, and Coastal. So looks like we were in the running during high school recruitment.

Often, pitchers turn out to be good hitters and simply good at almost any position. I'd say Ford, Good, and Alexander could have played any position on the field. Maybe this is one of those athletes, and we have had a huge turnover of players lately, this young lady may add more to the team than pitching.

Her bio says she played for the Williamsburg Starz. They’re based in Virginia and they’ve sent a bunch of kids to VaTech as well as a few to JMU, so maybe she has a friend on the squad.

http://www.starzgold.com/alumni.html

(08-21-2023 03:52 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Often, pitchers turn out to be good hitters and simply good at almost any position. I'd say Ford, Good, and Alexander could have played any position on the field. Maybe this is one of those athletes, and we have had a huge turnover of players lately, this young lady may add more to the team than pitching.

We've had several pitchers that were really good hitters. If I recall, I think Good used to play first base when she was in the lineup and not pitching.
As for CiCi, I don't recall her playing in the field, but she was at least DH.
At the very least, hopefully if we have a pitcher (or several) that can hit, they would at least play DH.
First base seems to be a good place for on the field for a pitcher as the chances of having to throw the ball would be fairly low.

(08-21-2023 04:03 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(08-21-2023 03:52 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Often, pitchers turn out to be good hitters and simply good at almost any position. I'd say Ford, Good, and Alexander could have played any position on the field. Maybe this is one of those athletes, and we have had a huge turnover of players lately, this young lady may add more to the team than pitching.

We've had several pitchers that were really good hitters. If I recall, I think Good used to play first base when she was in the lineup and not pitching.
As for CiCi, I don't recall her playing in the field, but she was at least DH.
At the very least, hopefully if we have a pitcher (or several) that can hit, they would at least play DH.
First base seems to be a good place for on the field for a pitcher as the chances of having to throw the ball would be fairly low.

Ford and Good both played first base when not pitching. My point is that she might be a good enough athlete that LaPorte may have said we'll find a position for you if our pitching staff becomes crowded.

(08-21-2023 01:33 PM)Dukester Wrote:  I'm the driver of the Loren bandwagon but like my approach with Mark's recruits (including Quincy) in Basketball I'm holding back my confidence/excitement until we see how well they perform in games.

There's a ton of great high school stats out there that might not translate to similar success at JMU.

That Payton did not play at all for Va Tech last year tempers my excitement.

We'll see - Fingers crossed

Yes, all good points. That shared, by all measures this is an excellent addition to the team.

You can't have too many good pitchers, especially when the prized recruit hasn't thrown a game yet. She might need a year/two of seasoning before taking the reigns.

JMU Wrote:The James Madison softball program added a talented two-way player to its roster, as Head Coach Loren LaPorte announced the addition of Virginia Tech transfer Payton List Tuesday afternoon.

List, a right-handed pitcher who can play both ways, did not appear in a game in her freshman season with the Hokies.

Originally from Beaver, Pa., List was a two-way standout at Beaver High School, where she was named a 2022 MaxPreps All-American after her senior season. In the circle, List racked up 297 strikeouts and a 0.56 ERA. At the plate, she hit .620 and only struck out five times, while smacking 11 home runs.

With her performance, List was named a two-time All-Section honoree as well the Beaver County Times Female Athlete of the Year and 4A Softball Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022.

"We are thrilled to have Payton be a part of the JMU family!" LaPorte said. "She will be an incredible addition to our team both in the circle and at the plate."