FEATURE: Softball Enters Rebuilding Year With Alumnae At The Helm

FEATURE: Softball Enters Rebuilding Year With Alumnae At The Helm | Flickr by City of Greenville, North Carolina

By Press release submission

Feb 8, 2023

Amber Hallman says her return to Savannah State University to coach the Tigers' softball team is like looking in a mirror.

"I'm blessed to be here and in the position I'm in," said Hallman, who played softball for SSU for four seasons. "It helps to create a culture for the young ladies, knowing that I was in their shoes not too long ago."

Hallman, 29, says retracing her steps brings back good memories. As a freshman third baseman in 2012, she earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) Rookie of the Year honor and helped SSU win the Southern Division's regular-season title when the school competed at the NCAA Division I level.
Amber Hallman

Three years later, as a senior, she hit .419 with 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in and was rewarded with her fourth All-MEAC accolade to go along with the conference's Defensive Player of the Year honor.

She graduated with a degree in behavioral analysis in 2017, but never strayed too far from the softball diamond.

Hallman coached two years at Rust College, then another two years at Talladega College before coming home to SSU.
The softball season starts Feb. 8 with a doubleheader against Coastal Georgia.

"I love getting back on this field, it brings back so many memories," Hallman said. "It makes me remember that softball is bigger than a game. It's about the memories that you make, your teammates, the life-long relationships you make on the field. And then, of course, what you learn – resilience, working toward a common goal, bounce back, all of these things that you learn as part of a team carries over to the real world."

It will be a rebuilding year for the softball program. Hallman took over a 13-18 squad that finished 8-10 in third place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) last spring, but she has only two seniors and two juniors on the 12-player roster.

Senior pitcher Alisyn Ferrell, should have the biggest impact. She started 26 of the team's 31 games last season, posting a 10-17 record with a 6.22 earned run average.

Ferrell also led the team with a .475 batting average with six homers and 29 RBI.

The pitching staff will get some help from another alumna. Hallman has brought on her old teammate, Madison Hedderly, to help coach the pitching this year. Hedderly was an All-MEAC pitcher during her four years at Savannah State.
Madison HedderlySamantha Morales, a junior transfer from Talladega, and freshman Noelle Scott will add pitching depth. Morales is also a middle infielder.

One of the team leaders, senior Rahkell Holden, moved to first base. Holden hit .302 with a team-best seven homers and 20 RBI.
Hard-working Leah Dudley, a junior, will be looking to take over at third base.

Sophomores and freshmen will have to step up. Freshmen Kaytrie-ana Bradshaw and Kylie Rhymer will have important roles to fill in the middle infield.

Dudley and sophomore Daxne Carrera will see time at catcher.

In the outfield, Kayla McDuffie returns after hitting .314 as a freshman. McDuffie was named preseason second team All-SIAC.
Sophomore Demonee Miles and freshmen Ziahya Griffin and Amaya Brown will compete for playing time in the outfield. Griffin also has experience at third base.

"We have a very young team, but it's an eager team, a very scrappy team," Hallman said. "I'm grateful for them and the work they put in.

"In softball, you're going to make errors, but for us, it's going to be, how quickly can you stop the bleeding? How quickly can you bounce back? We're not thinking about the next inning. It's about the now."