HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Jennifer Sexton never thought of herself as a dominant pitcher while in high school.
Even though Sexton had good velocity on her fastball, she was never able to roll up high strikeout totals. But that didn’t mean the former Sparkman High softball star wasn’t successful.
With good command of all her pitches, Sexton enjoyed plenty of success while at Sparkman helping the Senators win the Class 6A state championship as a senior in 2006.
Sexton may not have rolled up huge strikeout totals while in high school, but that all changed when she arrived at Wallace State-Hanceville.
While working with Wallace State assistant coach Tracy Grindrod, Sexton learned to throw a drop ball, which eventually became her strikeout pitch.
“I was more of a contact pitcher in high school,” said Sexton, who has been selected as the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Junior College Athlete of the Year. “I always had to depend on ground balls and fly balls to get outs. But that’s because I didn’t have a strikeout pitch.”
After adding a drop ball to her repertoire, Sexton emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in the Alabama Community College Conference, helping Wallace State win its first NJCAA national championship in softball this season.
After graduating from Wallace State with a 3.9 GPA, Sexton hopes to add a few more championship rings to her collection. Along with teammate Kaitlyn King, Sexton will continue her softball career at the University of North Alabama next season.
“I’m excited about playing at UNA,” Sexton said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to win championships at every level. Hopefully that will continue when I get to UNA.”
Sexton is the second straight Wallace State athlete to be named JUCO Athlete of the Year by the ASWA. Men’s basketball player Cory Cooperwood received the award last year.
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