The dream has been realized.
More than two years ago, Lauren Holifield hoped her decision to go to Jones County Junior College would help her attract the attention of Division I coaches so she could earn a scholarship to play softball at the highest level.
A dream sophomore season helped Holifield put an exclamation point on her two-year junior college career and paved the way for the final step Thursday, when she signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Southern Mississippi softball program.
“It is just a great feeling,” Holifield said after she joined JCJC teammate Tori Dew in signing with Southern Miss. “It is something that you know you have dreamed about: to play Division I softball. It is amazing it is finally happening. I can’t really explain how it feels.”
On Monday, Holifield was named the Dudley Softball National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Player of the Year. She earned that honor after she won the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) “Triple Crown” with a .503 batting average, 28 home runs, and 82 RBIs. Holifield led the nation in home runs and in slugging percentage (1.174). She also led the Lady Bobcats with 20 doubles.
Holifield, a former standout at New Hope High School in Columbus, said she didn’t expect to deliver such impressive power numbers. She said she never got too caught up in the fact she was hitting cleanup behind Dew, the 2014 NJCAA Division II Player of the Year, or that she was a “home run hitter.” Instead, she said she couldn’t think about her slugging prowess and tried to stay focused on being a “hitter who makes good contact.”
Holifield said she didn’t think she did more work during her sophomore season than in her first season at JCJC. She said she tried to do extra work and to keep that training fun, like when she would hit from the left side rather than the right side, which is her natural side. Holifield said fun things like that with her teammates allowed her to think about the “smaller things.” She then would use those examples as reminders when she hit from the right side in games.
“We all worked hard and hard work pays off,” Holifield said when asked about her hitting success. “I think the reason we were so successful is we worked hard in the cages and put in the extra effort and the extra time.”
Holifield admitted she could have worked harder in the weight room. As a freshman, Holifield said the work she did in the weight room made her “real tight” and caused her to feel “uncomfortable” when she swung. She said she didn’t lift as much this season, which she feels allowed her to keep her swing looser and to feel more comfortable.
It was hard to argue with the results. Holifield also was named a recipient of the NJCAA Marucci Elite Hitting Award and an NJCAA Division II first-team All-American. Those honors came on the heels of the MACJC Player of the Year accolades. At the JCJC Spring Athletic Banquet, she was named the JCJC Female Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award winner for having a 4.0 grade-point average.
Holifield is eager to continue the hard work on and off the field at Southern Miss. She picked the school in part because her father lives in Laurel and her father’s parents live in the Hattiesburg area. She also said she felt more comfortable knowing Dew and former JCJC teammates Bailey Stokes will be with her at Southern Miss.
Close to home
Holifield also considered attending Southeastern Louisiana. In the end, though, she said Southern Miss made her feel like she was “close to home.”
Before Holifield arrives in Hattiesburg, she and Dew will be two of 16 players to represent all NJCAA divisions in the 21st-annual Canadian Open Fastpitch International Competition on July 3-13 in Surrey, British Columbia.
Holifield, who played shortstop at JCJC, isn’t sure what her role will be on that team. She also admitted she isn’t sure where she might play at Southern Miss, but she said the coaches have told her they will try to get her bat in the lineup. Holifield is fine if she is a designated player as long as she gets a chance to realize her dream and help the team in any way possible.
“I know it is going to be different because the pitching is going to be better, but I think working in the offseason will get me used to it and I can fall right in, hopefully,” Holifield said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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