Recruiting Special: 2022 Extra Elite 100 Pitcher RyLee Crandall… Calls with 10 Colleges on Sept. 1

Earlier today, we profiled a top 2022 prospect, Sydney Lewis from Prosper, Texas, who received a flurry of activity on Sept. 1, the first day college coaches could contact top juniors.

Here, we profile one of Sydney’s teammates: outstanding 2022 pitcher RyLee Crandall, from Artesia, New Mexico who, like Sydney, also plays for the Texas Glory – Naudin 16U team.

RyLee had a big summer as she earned Extra Inning Softball All-Summer Team honors after going 15-1 with 134 strikeouts in 111 innings.

The 5-foot-7 hurler has also been in the Top 50 of the 2022 Extra Elite 100 and is following in the footsteps of older sister, Kali Crandall, who won the 2017-18 Gatorade Softball State Player of the Year award and is currently at Oklahoma Christian University.

Their club coach, Ed Naudin, explains: “RyLee is a special talent, she’s gritty and a tough competitor, a perfect mix if swagger and fight.”

The coach continues: “Her teammates love to play behind her as RyLee is an exceptional athlete who will never quit, she’s always ready to lead her squad. It has been a joyful experience having the Crandall family in our program.”

“This kid from New Mexico has left her mark on our Texas Glory program and she has promised to call me when her college team makes Super Regionals.  I want to see her compete at this stage as she was born to compete and win.”

RyLee had knee surgery in 8^th grade after getting injured playing volleyball and missed the opportunity to be recruited early prior to the rule changes in April 2018, but she followed up with a breakthrough 2019 as she led her Artesia High team to a 26-4 record and state championships while earning All-State honors.

After a strong summer of 2020, RyLee was busy yesterday fielding a double-digit number of contacts from colleges Tuesday, which she documents here in her recap of how Day 1 went…

*****

Five minutes before midnight, my family and I prayed for guidance and wisdom for the next step of my softball journey that was about to begin.

All of a sudden, at exactly 12:00 am (midnight), texts start coming in from college coaches wanting to schedule calls including schools like Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Ole Miss, who all texted at midnight on Sept 1!

At around 12:30 am yesterday morning, I went to sleep and when I woke up around 6:30 am, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Tulsa, Kansas, Purdue and New Mexico had also texted me. Later that day Wichita State contacted me too.

By 8:00 am, I had scheduled most of my meetings and got ready for the day.

September 1st was filled with many smiles and laughs and the gratefulness was pouring out of me every minute and with every conversation of the day!

Throughout the day Tuesday, the first day of the Contact Period, my family was surrounding me or calling in to give me encouragement and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

I was so thankful to meet new people and new softball programs as well as reconnect with Coaches that have built relationships over the last few years.

My first call of the day was with pitching coach Joshua Johnson of Mississippi State and we had a great conversation about our mutual relationship to New Mexico. He talked about how he watched me this summer and how he found out about me. An interesting note from this conversation was how to measure 9″ movement in a rise ball.

My second call was with Minnesota and that was our first-time ever talking; Coach Pipper Ritter also has ties to New Mexico, so it was cool to talk about our NM roots. I thought we had a really good connection for just meeting.

My third call was from the University of New Mexico. We already had a prior relationship and I have so much respect for Coach Tyler Heil, he is a great person and we get along really well. Coach Heil and I talked about what he/UNM would be able to do for me if I went there, but at the end of the day he wants what’s best for me. He said that there was no way UNM was not going to reach out to me being that I live in New Mexcio and UNM values in-state student-athletes.

My fourth call was from Texas Tech and I talked to Head Coach Adrian Gregory. We had a fun time trying to figure out the time zone differences but we finally got to talk and it was full of laughs and made a really good memory. I had a prior relationship with both her and Sam Marder and they both have always been so supportive and kind to me.

My fifth call was with the University of Tulsa and I FaceTimed legendary pitcher Paige Parker, now an Assistant Coach, and Head Coach Crissy Strimple. We also had some really good laughs and I related to them very well. It was really cool to talk to Coach Parker, we talked about my pitching strengths and me as a person.

My sixth call was from Oklahoma State University where I have the longest standing relationship and it was a good thing because, over the course of the day, we had many goofs.

Head Coach Kenny Gajewski called the first time and I missed his call and he went to my voicemail. Well I forgot to change my funny voicemail to a real voicemail and, well, he kinda got pranked! Luckily, Coach “G” and I have a really good relationship and we were able to laugh about it—after he knew it was actually me on the phone and not my voicemail! We had a good talk and I am excited to get to know Assistant Coach John Bargfeldt over the next few weeks as well.

My seventh call was Baylor and this was actually my first time talking to Head Coach Glenn Moore and Assistant Coach Britni Newman. We got along super well and we share a lot of the same beliefs as we both put our relationship with God first. After that call I have the utter most respect for them and the Baylor program. We had a good conversation about my family, my goals, and who I want to grow to be as a person and a player.

My eighth call was from the Wichita State coaches and this was also my first conversation with them. The coaching staff and I had some good laughs too and I was grateful for their call.

My ninth call was with Kansas and this too was the first time I got to talk to them. Assistant Coach Megan Lamberth was super personal with me and wanted to get to know me better as a person and I really enjoyed talking to her.

My last call of the day was at 8:30 with Ole Miss. I had heard many amazing things about Coach Ryker Chason through my coach and also my good friend Maribeth Gorsuch. He was everything she said he was. He was super easy to talk to and I enjoyed every minute. We laughed and he gave me a little peek into his past with pitching which was a real eye opener for me because of all his great personal experience.

*****

All of the coaches asked me the same question which was, “What is your timeline for this process?” and I told them I am not trying to make any decisions quickly because I have to make sure it is the right fit for me as an athlete and a person.

I’m looking for a school that will make me a better person as well as a better athlete. I need to find the place that is going to be my home and my family and I don’t want to rush that, but I also don’t want to make the process drag on. I would like to visit the campus and go to camps to work with the staff to make sure everything feels comfortable and right.

I hope this gets to be the case and the NCAA lifts the Dead Period so personal glimpses can happen into the programs.

I also want to go to a school where we sit in the locker room or the coaches’ offices after practice and have a good time and have good talks.

I want to go to a school where we all are a huge family and don’t rush off the first chance we get, where we play for each other, but also are there for each other on and off the field.

Finally, I want to go to a school where, win or lose, we do it together and make fun and goofy memories!

— RyLee Crandall