RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
As we get ready to launch the 2020 Extra Elite 100 on Monday–along with the Extra Elite Eighty 18U Club Rankings also–we revisit one of our favorite stories from the class: the tale of a young bat girl who is now a future Ragin’ Cajun softball player… Mia Cantu.
We originally ran the story below on Nov. 11, 2018 and a lot has happened for Mia since then… we let her mother, Jennifer Cantu, pick it up from here:
“It’s been an interesting year to say the least,” the athlete’s mom begins. “Mia was injured in July when she tore her ACL at the TBolt Showcase in Alabama. She’s healing nicely and ahead of schedule right now.”
“Before then, Mia led her Klein Collins Tigers High School team to the 2019 6A Texas State Championship game in Austin, Texas this year. Mia ended her junior year batting .531 with a .571 OBP. She had 77 hits, 47 RBIs and 59 runs in the leadoff spot. She was named to the 2019 TGCA Texas 6A All State 1st Team and the 2019 6A Texas State Finals All-Tournament Team as well as was as 15-6A All District.”
“With no break in between high school and travel ball, Mia went straight to work for Firecrackers Sewell Premier. Two tournaments into the summer, she sustained the injury but in the nine games before she was injured she had a .450 average and .500 OBP.”
“Mia is still committed to Coach Gerry Glasco and University of Louisiana-Lafayette and is set to return to the field in January!”
Here’s more on Mia’s journey…
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When we were compiling the Extra Elite 100 for the 2020 Class, one knowledgeable coach told us: “Mia may be the biggest surprise of the summer and looks to make the biggest jump possibly this year.”
As one of the standouts on the Firecrackers-Sewell team that finished 3rd at PGF 16U Premier Nationals, Mia had a huge year and though committed to New Mexico heading into the summer, on Sept. 27th we profiled her after it was learned she opened up her recruiting again.
You can find that original article, titled Extra Star Power: 2020 Extra Elite 100 & Texas All-State Honoree Mia Cantu… Back on the Recruiting Market in its entirety by scrolling down the page or clicking on the title above.
Yesterday, her recruiting journey came to an end as she called Louisiana Lafayette Head Coach Gerry Glasco and told him she wanted to be a Ragin’ Cajun. Her interest in ULL, though, actually goes back way before the personable Glasco was hired about a year ago.
“When I was eight-years-old,” begins the athlete, “I got to be a bat girl for the Ragin’ Cajuns and that experience really stayed with me so ULL has always held a special place in my heart.”
Adding to her desire to someday play for the school, Mia says that the hiring of the new head coach really piqued her interest in the Sun Belt Conference softball program.
“I’ve always wanted to play for Coach Glasco so when he became the head coach at ULL, I stayed on his radar as much as possible.
I had met him a few years back at a Texas A&M camp. I really liked him and his coaching style and knew he would be a coach I would really like to play for one day.
I continued to attend his camps all over and when he became the Head Coach of the Ragin Cajuns, I just knew that’s where I was supposed to be.”
When the Louisiana-Lafayette head coach reciprocated the interest, Mia knew she’d have to be honest and open up her recruiting again after previously committing to New Mexico.
*** Scroll down to read more about how Mia committed to the Ragin’ Cajuns!