Today we head to the Sunshine State to spotlight one of the top high school juniors in the nation, pitcher Violet Flynn from Crystal River, Fla.

The talented hurler, who was ranked as a Top 50 pitcher nationally in the Class of 2026, had a strong fall with more college interest increasing but on November 23, during an official visit, she to committed to Michigan State University.

Why the Spartans?

“Leading up to September 1^st (the first day college coaches could reach out to the 2026 class),” the athlete explains, “I had a lot nerves, but as the day came and went and I knew it was just the start of my journey.”

“What was really important to me was finding the right fit,” Violet continues. “I am interested in pursuing a Sports Medicine degree so making sure the college I chose was important.”

Is she concerned, Line Drive Softball asked her, about being so far from home?

“I know that being away from home will be challenging at first,” the premier pitcher admitted, “so the culture of the college is very important to me too. As for a softball team, finding coaches that I connect with was very important and, as a pitcher, I believe I thrive and feel like I perform my best when I have a strong connection with my coaches.”

Head Coach Alyssa Hamilton of Crystal River (Fla.) High works with Violet on the school’s softball team but also is an assistant coach on the volleyball team on which the junior plays.

“I would have to say that Violet is one of the most focused athletes I’ve coached,” Coach Hamilton begins.

“Her IQ for any sport she plays is impressive. ‘Confident’ is truly the other word that comes to mind when I think of her on the mound. In volleyball, Violet knows the court like the back of her hand and knows where the players need to be positioned. She is a nature leader and takes charge.”

But the two-sport athlete will be on the softball fields, not the volleyball court, when she steps foot on her future Big Ten school’s campus.

Violet started in softball at the age of 8 after a short period of time playing soccer, baseball and basketball.  However, when she was playing baseball at that tender age, the Florida athlete decided she no longer wanted to be the only girl on her team, so she signed up for the county’s softball little league.  

“After that, there was no turning back!” Coach Hamilton remembers.

At 10 years old, Violet joined her first travel ball team in Central Florida and—primarily playing locally, she dominated in the circle and, when she wasn’t in the circle was playing middle infield.

The multi-sport athlete also was always a high performer at the plate, usually batting in the 3^rd or 4^th hole.

“Her softball IQ even from a young age was remarkable,” Hamilton says.

During these years, her team won several PGF and USSSA State championships in Florida and surrounding states and at one USSSA tournament was named MVP at Space Coast for her pitching.

In the Spring of 2023, Violet started high school at Crystal River and, per Coach Hamilton:

“This is truly where she started getting more recognition in Florida.”

Her repertoire in the circle includes throwing five pitches with success—a fastball, curve drop curve and a change-up, but she is known for her impactful riseball.

Coach Hamilton continues:

“Her spin tracked on my Rapsodo and, on all of her pitches, her spin rate averages 1400-1500 including her fastball which still has natural spin.”

Her fastball at a recent college camp was clocked consistently at 64 mph.

For the first two years of prep play, Violet was throwing in the lower 60’s at the high school level.

“Her spin on the ball has always been her staple,” Hamilton continues, “and, for me as a coach, the ability she has to command pitches is invaluable. However, she wants to continue to gain velocity and maintain her spin.”

During the high schooler’s freshman year, she had a Top 5 power school come to watch her pitch against a local rival, Citrus High.  She was named Citrus County Player of the Year and also named Pitcher of the Year by the Gulf Coast 8 Conference.  

Her pitching stats as a freshman helped her rank nationally along with being in the Top 10 in the state for numerous pitching stats. Most impressively, perhaps, were her strikeouts as she recorded 278 K’s in 144.1 innings.  Her batting stats during her freshman and sophomore year were just as impressive.

On the club side, Violet was given an opportunity to join the successful Virginia Unity squad led by Head Coach Josh Johnson in the Fall of 2023 and immediately made a successful debut.

Against other elite programs such as Mojo, Athletics, Arizona Storm and Iowa Premier, she shined in the circle with only four earned runs and 12 hits allowed in 30.1 innings while striking out 46 opposing batters.

As a sophomore in the Spring of 2024, Violet set some goals for high school: she wanted to surpass her strikeouts and drop her ERA, both of which she accomplished as she had 335 K’s in 170 innings pitched, striking out 1.97 batters every inning. 

The pitching star also had two perfect games and four no hitters and, with the bat, hit her first grand slam which “was exhilarating for the team,” according to Head Coach Hamilton.

After sophomore season, Violet was ranked 5^th in pitching stats for Florida and, though two years younger, her name was next to several standout senior college commits. She was also ranked in the top 20 nationally for strikeouts for the season. 

Her high school honors as a high school senior included being named the Citrus County Player of the year for the second year in a row, as well as the MVP for the Gulf Coast 8 Conference. Violet also received numerous awards from high school to include her teammates naming her MVP. 

For her freshman and sophomore season combined, she has already compiled 613 strikeouts just halfway through her varsity career.  Her goal for her junior year, Violet says, is to get close to—or pass—1,000 career strikeouts.

This Summer, Violet and her Virginia Unity team traveled all across the nation including stops at elite events such as the PGF Nationals in California, the Colorado Sparkler and the Legacy Legends Invitational where Unity and Louisville Lady Sluggers 07 were named co-champions.

Playing against top competition, Violet had 49 K’s in 47 innings pitched.

On September 1^st, Violet’s hard work paid off as shown by her being contacted by multiple college programs, which noticed her talent and also her tremendous work ethic.

“Throughout Violet’s travel ball career, she knew from an early age that she would need to make many sacrifices and train,” her high school coach explains. “She started going to a local high school pitching trainer and then, in 2021, she started going to an assistant college coach for pitching and hitting lessons.”

Today, Violet travels an hour away on a weekly basis to meet with her pitching coach for lessons.  She also works weekly on her pitching at home, using plyos to gain speed and also being an OGX pitcher which consists of using biometric data through Rapsodo and tracking her progress. 

Academically, the talented teen is also top notch.

She enrolled at Crystal River High to join the Health Academy—which is a compilation of biology classes, medical and advanced science courses—starting in her freshman year. These courses are geared towards any student who is entertaining a medical degree and the talented student-athlete currently has a 4.1 GPA overall, and continues to be placed in all AP classes.

For her junior year in high school, Violet has also enrolled in some community college classes and continues to impress and improve on and off the field.

And what advice would she give to players who soon will be where she’s been in the recruiting process?

“For the girls that are coming up,” Violet offers, “I would say pick your dream colleges but always have backups. Don’t ever close the door without exploring the opportunity. Make sure you are choosing a place where you want to live and focus on your education. Don’t rush anything: your right fit will come.”

“Use gut feelings and go with what you feel is best for you, and not what others are telling you. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Trust yourself, your abilities and the end results will be amazing!”

Her high school head softball coach says her work with her D1-bound pitcher continues with her junior campaign coming up in 2025.

“My goal is just to continue to help Violet reach her goals,” Coach Hamilton concludes, “and get her name out there. Hopefully, my messages convey her passion, hard work and dedication to this sport.”

“Again, Violet is certainly my leader. She puts a tremendous amount of weight on her performance on the field, and never wants to disappoint her coaches or team. Violet is going to be a special player to watch over the next few years.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball