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One of the best parts of my job is following young athletes as they develop, work hard, persevere through tribulations and succeed in realizing their dreams of playing at the college level.
A great example of this is Lexie Ham, a talented pitcher I’ve tracked since she played at 10U for the OC Batbusters – Garcia 2021 team that made it to the ASA Nationals in 2014.
The next year, her Batbusters team was one of two first-year 12U teams to qualify for PGF Nationals in 2015 where the team went 2-2 competing against second-year 12U teams while only giving up three earned runs.
Lacie had a spectacular year in 2016, going 42-4 for the Batbusters with 281 K’s in 247 innings and a 0.94 ERA. She was the winning pitcher at the World Fastpitch Championship and help her team finish 3rd at PGF Nationals where she went 6-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 27 K’s in 37 innings playing against many of the top teams in the country.
At the end of PGF in 2016, legendary coach Mark Campbell created a first-year 14U team (OC Batbusters Campbell 03) and invited Lacie to join, which she did.
At the end of August, Lacie was invited to the USA Elite Select 30 camp. Out of 130+ girls in her age group (2021), she was selected in the top 30. Those top 30 played a game and she was selected 1st Team from that game.
Flash forward to 2018 when Lacie made our YouTube channel when she pitched to a baseball-playing classmate at her Murietta Mesa (Murietta, California) high school and got him swinging in the breeze on a combo of change-ups and heat:
The summer of ’18 took a scary turn, however, when Lacie was struck in the head with a line drive back to the circle as she was pitching for the Batbusters – Campbell 14 team. She was hospitalized and it was reported at the time she had a skull fracture (see the article below).
Amazingly, after her head injury, it only took the So Cal resident four weeks to get back on the mound.
“Yes, we were terrified and worried about how he would feel,” her mother admitted, “but she knew she wanted to get back into the game.”
Lacie pitched in PGF Nationals that summer shortly after being cleared by her doctor. Happily, she suffered no side effects—her vision was perfect and headaches were minimal. She was back at school and playing volleyball for her JV team six weeks later.
But that wouldn’t be the last of her trials in softball.
The sudden and unexpected death of her Batbusters club coach, Mark Campbell, in March of 2019 put the entire softball world into a state of shock and was listed by Extra Inning Softball one of the Top 15 Stories of 2019 because of how impactful and beloved the coach was on and off the field in the Batbusters’ organization as well as for Pacifica High in Garden Grove, California.
Lacie posted a tribute to Coach Campbell on Twitter which still is pinned to the top of her page:
thank you for being such a caring coach. you helped me through the tough times and believed in me when i didn’t. thank you for everything Coach Mark❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/qFvQojd1Ld
— lacie ham!! (@laciedaecole) March 18, 2019
Despite having to deal with the tragedy, Lacie had a strong sophomore season at Murrieta Mesa, Lacie had 12 wins and a 2.02 ERA with 166 K’s in 149 innings pitched and was second in CIF-SS Div. I, only one K behind Savannah Hooks.
The Fall of 2019 Lacie played for Katie Stith’s 16U team and helped the Batbusters finish 3rd at the USSSA World Fastpitch Championships in June of 2018 and 3rd in Boulder IDT in July. That fall she played for Mike Stith’s team which won the PGF Shootout in October ’19 and played in the inaugural USSSA Invitational in Florida that November.
Her mother, Emily, told us in January of 2020: “Lacie was with OCBB since it was first Team Mizuno as a 10-year-old. We are very thankful for all the time and memories made with the Batbusters, Coach Chris Garcia and the late Mark Campbell. Those two coaches were extremely tough and taught Lacie numerous lessons in softball and in life.”
In the 2019-20 year, the pitcher left the Batbusters’ organization to play in the So Cal Athletics – Briggs program and in January was honored as a member of the 2021 Extra Elite 100 coming in at #76.
In March, 2020, Lacie was a Runner-Up National Player of the Week as the junior for Murietta Mesa High went 4-0 and allowed just four earned runs and recorded 42 strikeouts in 27 innings with wins over Mater Dei, Diamond Bar, Ayala and Huntington Beach at the Norco Showcase. For the spring, she went 8-1 with 91 K’s which led SS-DI and had a miniscule 0.89 ERA.
This summer, Lacie joined Ken Briggs 18U team and got a ton of innings. Says her father, Russell, “The team’s recruiting coordinator did a great job of calling schools weekly. The planets aligned with SJSU. From communication from Ken and some videos they saw, they offered her. She’ll sign the NLI tomorrow or early next week.”
Of course, COVID-19 had a major impact for the 2021 grad and her classmates as the high school season was eventually wiped out and, for those in California, so too was much of the summer club season.
Still, the softball world has long known of Lacie and her abilities and she announced her commitment to SJSU on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The exciting news was the latest in a long and distinguished career. It’s been rewarding to see her respond after the harrowing injury of 2018 and the passing of Coach Campbell in 2019.
i am so excited to announce that i will be furthering my academic and softball career playing D1 softball at San Jose State University!! i am so thankful for my family, friends, teammates, and coaches who have pushed me to where i am today!! can’t wait to be a spartan 💙💛🗡 pic.twitter.com/EvbwVummrB
— lacie ham!! (@laciedaecole) December 3, 2020
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
*****
Breaking News: Top Pitcher Lacie Ham Hospitalized with Line Drive Head Injury
Originally published June 18, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball
Father’s Day took a scary turn for one of the elite 14U programs in the nation as Mark Campbell’s OC Batbusters team saw standout 2021 pitcher/first baseman Lacie Ham get struck in the temple with a line drive that, according to one source, is listed as a skull fracture.
A Facebook photo posted by the incoming sophomore’s mother, Emily, shows her resting in bed with the initial report being that she has swelling and is in ICU, but should be fine in a few days.
Lacie’s father, Russell, told Extra Inning Softball this afternoon that, “She’s doing better (and is) stable. She still has a huge headache from the impact. They’re giving her morphine to help. (It will be) a couple of more days so they can monitor her. She’s a tough chick and will be back soon!”
The Batbusters-Campbell team was ranked in April by Extra Inning Softball as the #1 team at the 14U age division and Ham is a key piece of the talented team. She was described by one scout as “a fiery competitor with good spin and location” and has been scouted by SEC and ACC teams.
Other standouts on the team include 2022 catcher Jocey Erickson, an early verbal to Oklahoma; 2022 pitcher Olivia Gigante, who is uncommitted but has major Power 5 schools after her; 2021 infielder Laia Macarioa, who is committed to Oregon and 2021 shortstop Reagan Walsh, a Florida Gator verbal.
Ranked as the #16 Southern California player in the 2021 class by SoCalSidelines.com, she went 11-3 as a freshman at Murietta Mesa (Murietta, California) with 56 K’s in 62 innings and compiled a 1.23 ERA.
This year she backed up the returning CIF Player of the Year, Autumn Pease, who’s committed to Idaho State, and compiled a 2.02 ERA while limiting opposing batters to a .246 batting average.
The staff at Extra Inning Softball wishes Lacie a speedy recovery with our thoughts and prayers going out to her and the Ham family.