RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
What a crazy year it’s been for Claire Ginder.
The outstanding senior infielder at Newsome (Lithia, Florida) High played for the USA Softball U17 Team that won Gold at the Pan American games in Barranquilla, Columbia last October after she made the team by shining in an open tryout. For Team USA, Claire hit .400 with a .538 on-base percentage.
In November, Claire signed with Furman University and was poised to have a big senior campaign for her high school which at one point in March was in the Top 50 of the Extra Elite Eighty High School Rankings. Eight games in, she was hitting .500 with a .550 on-base percentage, seven RBIs and a 1.272 OPS.
But then came the Coronavirus which shut down the season—and her high school softball career—after she had helped the team to a state runner-up finish in Class 9A last year.
Still, it’s been a remarkable ride for the Floridian who has a 4.0 unweighted GPA (a stellar 6.36 weighted GPA) and scored a 32 on the ACT and a 1500 on the SAT.
Here’s more on this player who we’ll see this summer playing against girls years older than her as she’ll compete for the Myakka City River Mocs in the Florida Gulf Coast League…
*****
What a crazy year it’s been… you’ve hit the highest of highs, winning a championship for Team USA U17 in Columbia to losing your senior season! How are you feeling about 2019-2020 right now?
So far, 2019 has definitely been better than 2020. In 2019 I won a championship with Team USA U17 and that was such an incredible feeling, playing for my country and winning with some amazing players and coaches is an experience I wouldn’t change for anything.
I also got to sign on National Signing Day with Furman University in 2019. I was so excited to finally make it official. 2020 has been a bit different. I was super excited for my senior season of high school ball, but it didn’t end up working out how any of us would hope. We got eight games into the season and we didn’t know that our last game would officially be our last game. Our coach kept the seniors in all game just in case and I’m glad she did.
It’s been emotional to think about: no senior night, no postseason, and it was my last chance to play with my best friends before we went off to college, but even though we didn’t get the opportunity to finish what we started last year I’m still thankful for the games I got to play.
Let’s start with how you got into softball… you’re a Marine Corps brat and your first coaches in softball were four young Marines in coach pitch at age 7 in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. What do you remember most about your softball beginnings?
My parents put me in coach pitch to start with because they thought I would be bored if I had to play t-ball. I remember that my first play ever was a ground ball to me at shortstop and I threw it to first and the first baseman caught it. I think that surprised the parents a bit. My coaches were the most supportive, positive, and fun people. It was a great first experience with softball and really got me loving the game.
Has it been hard moving a lot, being the daughter in a military family? Where all have you lived?
I’ve lived in Cherry Point, North Carolina; Quantico, Virginia; Miami, Florida, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Stafford, Virginia and now Tampa, Florida. When I was younger, moving was a lot harder for me because I was a very shy kid and had a lot of stress about having to meet new people and change what I was used to.
As I got older, I realized how good it was for me to experience change because it helped me gain confidence in myself and learn better people skills. Moving to Florida was also the best thing that could have happened to my softball career.
You come from a family of athletes… talk about your dad’s baseball career and your brother who plays at Ave Maria University…
My dad was a four-year starter for the baseball team at James Madison University from 1991- to-’95 and he was also a captain the year the team went to the NCAA Regionals in Baton Rouge. During his four years he played every position on the field except for pitcher and catcher.
My brother, Zach, who plays at Ave Maria, is a big catcher/first baseman type. He was the first one to go through the recruiting process; I saw how he had to work harder and make a name for himself because during his process we were still moving around and knew that I had to do the same. I also had an uncle who played baseball at Millersville University so baseball definitely runs in the family.
*** Scroll down to read more about Claire’s accomplishments and what it was like to play for Team USA…