Karleigh “K.G.” Walker of the Alabama Thunderbolts 2024 – McCollum program has committed to Campbellsville University to continue her academic and athletic career.
Throughout K.G.’s many years of ball, she shared that a certain Power-5 college had always held the position of her “dream school.” However, when September 1st arrived last year, she realized that the idea of a “dream school” was something she’d grown out of, and instead wanted to enter the recruitment process more open-minded.
“The reality is that I desired to go to a school that values education, values me as a person, and will prepare me for life after softball,” K.G. shared. “I found that in Campbellsville.”
Coach Shannon Wathen invited K.G. to campus early on in the recruitment process and fell in love with the players and coaching staff, leaving an impact on the young athlete as she visited other schools and programs during the next few months.
“There were other offers and schools out there. Coach Wathen told me to go through the process. She cares about me as a player and a person. This spoke to me loudly,” commented K.G. “After many nights of discussion, prayer, and deep thought, I knew where I wanted to go. I wanted to go to the place and play for the coaches that made me feel valued and at home.”
When K.G. made her decision, the first people she told were her parents, who had always stayed out of the recruitment process, trusting their daughter to make the decision that was best for her future.
When asked what she would tell the next generation of young athletes entering the daunting recruitment process, K.G. shared:
“I would say this for every girl that will have the opportunity to make a decision of where to play: do it for you. Go where it feels like home! Go to the school that will value you, not only as a player, but as a person. Be you!”
K.G. credits her family, who have made tremendous sacrifices to allow her to travel the country to play the sport she loves; Coach Tony Hayden and the other coaches at McCracken County High School for believing in her at such a young age; and Brandon Myhand, her hitting instructor who was instrumental in her athletic development.
She will join the Campbellsville University Tigers in the fall of 2024 as a catcher and third-baseman and compete in the NAIA Mid-South Conference. She plans to pursue a degree in sports psychology.
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