There was little doubt from an early age that Kyla Stroud would be a special talent in softball. At only eight-years-old, she smacked 16 home runs in the Newton County (Georgia) Rec League and a year or so later was crushing 200-foot home runs.
It wasn’t long before major programs from around the country began showing heavy interest—from Georgia and Georgia State in her back yard to programs nationwide such as Oklahoma, Washington, Notre Dame and LSU.
One school, however, always held a place in her heart: Auburn.
She had special ties to the SEC school—her father, Horace, was a running back for the Tigers’ football team from 1988-1991—but both father and daughter say that wasn’t the main reason she ultimately committed earlier this month to Mickey Dean and staff.
“I wanted to make sure she checked out all her options and visited other schools,” the athlete’s father explains. “I didn’t want it to be just because I went there. I told her it was the place for me, but you have to make sure it was the right place for you.”
For her part, the 7th grader visited the Auburn campus—which is about a 2 ½ hour drive from her Georgia home—and was sold then saying, “It felt like family.”
Ultimately, Kyla convinced her parents that it was the “right place” for her and she committed during an unofficial visit.
Now she says it’s time to work on her skills so someday she can reach her goal of being a power-hitting outfielder for the Tigers.
Here’s more on the outfielder who was one of the few 7th graders who got to commit prior to the Early Recruiting no-contact legislation started April 25th…
