Many power-hitters would be ecstatic to have one or two grand slams in a season, but Paige Vickery, a freshman standout infielder for the DII Anderson University Trojans based in Anderson, S.C., smashed a trio of them… all within one week in March!

Ranked as a Top 50 player in the Class of 2023, the Commerce, Ga. native has exploded onto the collegiate scene as she smacked seven home runs with 31 RBIs and a .365 batting average in the team’s 17-11 start.

In South Atlantic Conference action, which started March 10^th, she been hitting at a .444 clip.

Highlighting her hot freshman start, however, was the jaw-dropping run Paige had when she smacked the first grand slam of her young career in an 8-2 win versus Barton College on March 8, 2024 and then, five days later, smashed one in each game of a double header against Emory & Henry that keyed 11-0 and 12-3 victories.

Think she was feeling it? Without a doubt…

“Yes, I was in a zone,” Paige admitted, “and I was seeing the ball very well especially on my first grand slam. I already had in mind ‘the first pitch was going to be a strike, so be ready.’”

Paying attention to what the opposing pitchers were throwing her, the freshman waited for her pitch for the final grand slam of the week.

“During my last at-bat (against Emory & Henry),” Paige remembered, “my first pitch was a strike middle-in, so I knew to be ready for that same pitch since I didn’t hit it my first at-bat.”

Named as one of her school’s Jimmy John’s Athletes of the Week, the right-handed hitting infielder says she couldn’t wait for the next at-bat during her power run because her confidence was so high at that point.

 “What I remember most about that stretch of games,” Paige explains, “is being very excited about each of my next at-bats because, when you are in the zone and are on a high, you can’t wait to be back at the plate to see what happens next!”

The student-athlete has worked hard to be so successful this year and says doing extra work with her father, Mike Vickery who was also her club coach the last couple of years in the Mojo travel ball organization, as well as with hitting coach Nick Denton, has paid off.

“I live about 75 miles from Anderson,” she says, “and any chance I get, I go home and hit with my dad and Coach Nick. One thing I remember saying when hitting with my Dad was ‘I could do this all day!’”

“But eventually I would have to stop just to give Dad a break because I would wear him out!” she laughs.

Excellent advice from her father has also paid dividends Paige believes.

“My Dad has always given me some of the best advice when it comes to real life and softball,” Paige continues.

“I always hear him tell me, ‘You need to know how to handle the difference between a streak and a slump. A slump is something that you work very hard to work yourself out of and a streak is something that you work very hard to stay in because you know a streak will come to an end just like you know when you work hard and put in the extra work, the slump will come to an end.’ And those words will stick with me through the rest of my softball career.”

Overall, it’s been a great start for the Peach State native and she’s thoroughly enjoyed playing and winning as a team as well as elevating her own hitting game up to rarefied air.

“As a team, I am proud of how resilient we have been,” the freshman says. “We were struggling getting started but we finally found it and then went on a 10–game winning streak. Everyone has each other’s back—when someone is in a slump, we pick them up and let them know we have their back and that we are fighting for them. Our team has become very close, and we have a bond that is so unique.”

And for herself?

“Personally, I am proud of how I am performing on the field,” she concludes. “I am trying to be the best teammate I can be and help our team to success. I love being able to help our team. Even though I can hit home runs, I love bunting to help our team score or even move a runner into scoring position because I know my teammate behind me can drive them in. 

— Brentt Eads, Line Drive Softball