Last Friday (Sept. 25, 2021), one of the top 5 players in the Class of 2023—infielder Kenleigh Cahalan of Trussville, Alabama—announced that she would be playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide program located about an hour away from her home.
You can read more about why that’s such an impactful move for Patrick Murphy’s program by clicking HERE.
One of the top travel ball organizations in the country is the Birmingham Thunderbolts program headquartered in Kenleigh’s home state and the head coach of the 18U team for the Bolts is Rocky Thompson.
The junior standout will be playing for this title-winning Bolts squad for the next two years and Extra Inning Softball asked Coach Thompson what makes Kenleigh’s game so advanced and successful.
“Kenleigh’s talent and mindset has always set her apart from others, even at an earlier age,” begins Coach Thompson, “so it’s not a surprise that she has earned the opportunity to play in the SEC.”
He adds that one of the keys to the high schooler’s development is her internal drive to excel.
“Kenleigh’s biggest strength is the expectation she has for herself,” says her club coach. “She just wants to be the best version of herself possible. Her IQ and the understanding of herself and her abilities is where she has made huge strides in the last year.”
One thing that’s helped the infielder elevate her game, especially with the glove, according to Coach Rocky, is working with former Arizona State All-American Katelyn Boyd, a longtime coach within the organization.
“Coach Boyd helped take Kenleigh defensive play to a whole new level,” continues Coach Thompson, “and Kenleigh has dedicated herself to being a versatile defender. She is a competitor, it doesn’t matter what it is; if it requires a winner, she wants to win. Kenleigh is also a great individual and teammate along with being a great mentor to our younger players.”
Here’s Keneigh’s perspective on how the recruiting process went down in September and how she came to realize that—when it comes to playing college softball—there’s no place like home…
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What are your thoughts now that you committed? Ready to put on the Alabama uniform now?
I’m excited and relieved, although I know I still have a lot of work to do to compete at the SEC level.
How did Alabama first find you to start recruiting you, do you or they remember?
I think it was around my 8th grade year at the Bolts 5 Star showcase.
When did they actually offer you a scholarship?
They offered me while I was on my official visit, September 10-12th.
Thank you so much @AlabamaSB for an amazing weekend! Shoutout to the best host @jennalord03 And a special thanks to the Bama coaching staff @UACoachMurphy @CoachAlyBAMA @RyanIamurri32 @KNPH1318 #Mudita pic.twitter.com/fRk8KUzuvs
— Kenleigh Cahalan (@CahalanKenleigh) September 12, 2021
*** Scroll down to learn what helped Kenleigh decide that, when it came to Alabama, “it just felt right.”
