You don’t have to start in softball at 8U to be one of the best in your class.

The story of Claire Lindsay is one that will help many realize that it doesn’t matter how late you start your journey, if you work hard, dedicate yourself to getting better, and never give up, you can be successful and realize your dreams.

Claire is 15 and a Class of 2028 grad, just starting her softball career at age 12.

She played a season of coach-pitch softball, but then COVID hit. The Texas native then played a season of rec ball—no all-stars, just a spring season—before attending a C-class travel ball tryout to find out where she truly fit in.

“I wanted to get an assessment of her play,” Claire’s father Steve Lindsay recalls, “not expecting her to make the team.”

Since then, however, in three short years, Claire went from playing C Class to making an A Class national team in one year. She has since skipped 16U this year and gone right from 14U to playing on an 18U Gold team.

In her last two tournaments–Bombers Exposure and Impact Gold Exposure— Claire went eight-for-16, hitting .500 in both tournaments with five of those eight hits off of D1 pitcher commits headed to Oklahoma, Texas Tech, UConn, Tarleton State, and University of Louisiana-Monroe. The tournament before that, Ronald McDonald, the sophomore hit .375.

Outside of softball, Claire is a member of the National Honor Society, Cy Fair (Texas) Athletic Leadership Council, Young Life, and Best Buddies, where she spends time with high school kids with developmental disabilities.

Academically, Claire is also a standout with a 4.0 GPA taking AP classes while ranking No. 67 in a class of 820. Matching her softball accolades, she was an Academic All-District select this year as well and is also in the National Honor Society for Science.

“I think Claire’s story shows,” her father explains, “ that if you want something bad enough and are willing to make sacrifices—sometimes missing sleepovers, parties, trips to the beach or lake, etc.—and are willing to work hard outside of practice and study the game, you can succeed no matter how late you start.”

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Here, in her own words, Claire Lindsay recaps her impressive story that, today, has her ranked as one of the top players in her class…

Growing up, my sport was Taekwondo.

I started classes when I was eight, progressing on to statewide competitions where I won gold medals in full-contact Olympic sparring and board breaking.

Over the next couple of years, I earned more medals, got m black belt, and fought in many tournaments, but my mom wanted me to play a team sport as well. She said I needed to have a team sport when I got to high school for the bonds it makes.

Plus, I don’t think she liked me getting kicked and punched in the head at Taekwondo competitions!

I had played a season of coach-pitch softball when I was seven years old, played one game the next season before COVID hit and shut everything down.

So, when my mom said I had to play a team sport, I signed up for volleyball and a local rec ball softball league. I also ran track and played volleyball in middle school.

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From Rec to Select

After my first season of rec ball, my dad made me try out for a new 12U select team that was having tryouts. Neither of us thought we’d get an offer to join the team, but they were offering free talent assessments at the tryouts, so my dad had me go.

I hated the thought of it, but to my surprise, I made the team.

I went from a rec league team to a travel team in four months. It was a new C Class team, and we played in one tournament a month, and I wasn’t great, but I took hitting lessons, fielding lessons, and speed and agility classes.

I threw in the driveway with my dad and we went to the fields to take ground balls and fly balls. I was used to being good at taekwondo and I wanted to be good in softball too so, I worked on my game.

Like sometimes happens, our team broke up a year later. I had already been going to an extra practice every week for five months with Coach Tim Ramon’s Hustle team, which was an hour’s drive from my home.

I wasn’t trying to join his team (they were a legit team who had just won PGF in California, and I was still working on the right way to throw a ball consistently!), but he was nice enough to let me come and practice with them.

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The Coach Who Made A Difference

There, I met Coach Brian Schmitt, who saw something in me and really dedicated a lot of his time and effort into developing me, teaching me the game and all about softball IQ.

I also kept working hard, going to lessons, and going to the cages and the fields. We have a three-car garage, and my dad and I turned the two-car side into a batting cage and workout area. I spent hours out there hitting off the tee every chance I got.

That August, Hustle started a new premier team, and I went out and tried out for the team. I probably had no business making that team, as the talent at the tryout was amazing, but again, to my surprise, I made the team!

And the best part was that Coach Brian, who had been so amazing in helping me grow, was going to be one of the coaches.

So now I had to work harder… this was a “real” team.

We would be playing in PGF, Prospect Wire, and Alliance tournaments and I knew I’d have to up my game if I wanted to see the field… and I WANTED to see the field, so I kept working.

I became my harshest critic and was tougher on myself than any of my coaches ever were. I handled failure by working harder.

• If I had a rough day at the plate; we had to stop at the cages on the way home.
• If I had an error in the outfield; I got my dad to hit me more balls.

But I had to learn what everyone always says:

“This game is all about failure. Great hitters fail six out of 10 times.”

I had to work on dealing with failure better and finding the positives in each game.

Over the next two years, I worked and I played more and more every weekend to where I never sat. I usually hit in the leadoff spot, and I was having some success.

Coach Brian continued to invest in me, to talk me through each at-bat, each play. He taught me to have a plan before I got to the plate and just focus on executing that plan.

I owe a lot of where I am today to Coach Brian Schmitt.

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Breakthrough Freshman Campaign

My first year of high school, I made varsity where I lettered. I was named Cy-Fair District 6A-17 Newcomer of the Year and 1^st Team All-District. I was in the district Top 20 for batting average, hits, RBIs, and OBP, and Top 5 in runs… all from the leadoff spot.

I was ranked by Line Drive Media as the #83 overall player in the Class of 2028, the #44 outfielder in the nation, and the #42 overall player in the Southwest, Mountain, and West regions (thanks, Line Drive Media!)

Fast forward to today.

I did leave Hustle this fall and jump right from 14U to the 18U Intruders Gold – Johnson team, as I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone.

I wanted to compete against—and play alongside—older, committed players. Those players push me in practice and games harder than my coaches push me. They set a bar I try to match in their energy and effort.

Studies and activities outside of softball are extremely important to me.

We all know the sacrifices we make to play this sport. The sleepovers, birthday parties, and trips to the beach or the lake with friends all get missed for practice, lessons, or tournaments.

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The Importance of Balance in Life

But we have to find a balance.

I am a member of the National Charity League, Cy Fair Sports Leadership Council, and Best Buddies, where I am privileged to get to spend time with high school students with developmental disabilities.

I also make time for friends, Friday night football games when I can, school activities, and to chill.

Academics are important, also: I want to go to law school after college, but we all have been there, studying in the car on the ride home from practice, studying at 10:30 pm on a Sunday after your tournament.

I made Academic All District this year, which, to me, was a better recognition than the on-the-field awards.

What I’m trying to say in all this is it’s never too late to get started and succeed at softball or any sport.

But you have to work really hard, you have to sacrifice, and you have to want it. Being athletic only gets you so far; you must work, even when you’re tired or you don’t want to.

• Find 20 minutes to hit two buckets of balls into a net as many days a week as you can.
• Find someone to throw with you or throw a tennis ball against a wall.
• If you’re able to, find a great trainer to give you lessons on hitting or fielding.

And practice what they tell you in those lessons outside of those lessons. Work to get stronger or faster. YouTube is full of stuff you can do at home. If you work each day, even if it’s 15 minutes, you will get better.

It’s the “1% better every day” that everyone in our sport posts to X/Instagram.

Fall in love with the game and watch college or pro games every chance you can. You can learn a lot from watching athletes at that level. 

Push yourself outside your comfort zone.,

Our coaches always use the saying, “iron sharpens iron,” and that’s why I pushed myself outside my comfort zone this year.

Go try out for that big team, even if you don’t feel you’re good enough or might not make it. Maybe you will and maybe you won’t, but you’ll never make 100 percent of the teams you don’t go try out for. 

If you’re lucky, there’s a coach out there, like Coach Brian, who will see your energy and effort and take a chance on you.

My goal is to play softball in college and then go on to law school. I am working hard to reach that goal.

I’m only three years into this softball journey, and I’ve already had campus visits, Zoom calls, and phone calls with college coaches.

If I can do it, any of you can too!

— Claire Lindsay/Class of 2028