Grayson County High School graduated senior Autum Riggs has signed to play college softball at Brescia University.
Riggs is the starting catcher for this year’s Lady Cougar softball team. This season, she has a .354 average and leads the team with 21 runs batted in.
“(Brescia) was very welcoming,” said Riggs. “The head coach, Traci Smith, was adamant about letting me know how the atmosphere was, she made sure I met some of the players, she made sure I felt comfortable with everybody.”
The signing ceremony was attended by a large group of family, teammates, and all of her former coaches.
That included her t-ball coach Billy Wilcox who said that in all his years of coaching t-ball, he had never been invited to a signing day of a former player.
“It’s incredible. It’s been years. I was t-ball (coach),” said Wilcox. “For her to ask me to come… this is very special to me.”
Also in attendance was E.E. “Mr. Spirit” McGhee, who spoke briefly and gifted her with a t-shirt, pom pom, and a foam Cougar paw, so she would “never forget she is a Lady Cougar.” He said, “We hate to lose (Riggs). We’re not really losing her though. She’s just going to another level.”
Riggs is the daughter of Rodger and Pamela and plays on the Lady Cougars with her younger sister Aryssa.
Rodger, who is also one of the assistant coaches, was beaming with pride of his daughter when he said “Her hard work on the field and in the classroom paid off.”
Grayson County, under first-year head coach Ted Hill, is currently preparing for the 12th District tournament next week in Whitesville. Riggs’ bat and glove will be hard for Hill to replace next season.
“Obviously it’s a big deal,” Hill told the crowd. “It’s not every day that you have kids sign to play at the next level. It takes a different player, a different attitude to play at the next level.”
The coach said that all winter long, Riggs would come and get his keys so she could go practice while he was coaching the basketball team.
He added, “She’s put the work in and she deserves whatever she gets.”
Riggs’ successes on the field also transferred to the classroom, as she became the first student-athlete in Grayson County High School history to graduate with an associate’s degree.
“I hope to set a good example for everyone after me,” she said.
During the start of her sophomore year, her family transferred her from Hart County High School to Grayson County. The transition wasn’t always easy but paid off in the long run.
“I felt very alone and softball welcomed me. I felt more at home,” she added. “There is going to be a greater purpose to this. Sometimes if there is a little bit of rain, there is a rainbow at the end.”
Riggs’ “rainbow” Brescia is an NAIA school in Owensboro, Kentucky. They are currently coached by Traci Smith who will be in her 16th season as the head coach of the Panthers during the 2022 season.
By Sam Gormley, Play-By-Play Announcer/Local Sports
Reach Sam at sam@k105.com
