Woodrow Wilson senior softball hurler Aubrey Smallwood can spin it with the best of them inside the circle.
Now the three-time all-state selection will be working her magic for the University of Charleston after graduation next spring.
Monday afternoon, surrounded by family, coaches, teammates and friends, Smallwood signed a National Letter of Intent to move from the Flying Eagles to the Golden Eagles.
Along with providing her with a chance to play college softball, UC checked all the important boxes.
“It is unreal honestly knowing I have this much support behind me. It is awesome to see all of these people that showed up today to see me sign,” Smallwood said. “I loved the atmosphere at the school and what they had to offer me. They have an amazing biology program and (head) coach (Taylor) Welch was awesome. She made me feel so welcome when I went on my visit. I also really like how close it is to home.”
Achieving the opportunity to play at the next level really comes as no surprise to those that have seen her pitch.
“I have been around her since she was nine years old,” Woodrow Wilson head coach J.R. Bird said. “Obviously she is a totally different pitcher now. It is good to practice during the season, but what you do after the season is the key to getting better.”
“Aubrey is one of our best workers and that is what you want in one of your best players,” Bird went on to say. “She leads by example. When the other girls see her working hard, they realize she is one of the best players, but she is still working hard to be better.”
Like many others, Smallwood started by playing T-ball before moving over to softball. Pitching, however, was not her initial position in the early stages.
“I started catching before I was a pitcher. The person that I was catching persuaded me to try pitching,” Smallwood explained. “Ever since then I have always been a pitcher. I am glad it happened and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Some days it is frustrating, but it pays off.”
Over her high school career, she has been stellar in the circle. Last year in 90 innings of work, she fanned 184 batters and had a 1.16 earned run average.
While she wants to continue her work inside the circle, Smallwood also has the flexibility to play other positions as well.
“She can hit and has been one of our top hitters all three years of her career. I think that is the part that is underrated about her because she is so good at pitching,” Bird said. “I feel comfortable playing her anywhere on the field.”
During her junior season, which garnered her a second straight first team all-state honor, Smallwood hit .385 with a .488 on-base percentage. She also drove in 25 runs and had five home runs.
“I want to focus on pitching, but I also want to hit,” Smallwood said. “Hopefully I can do both in college. I will need to work really hard and show them that I need to be in the lineup, so I have some work to do.”
Her pitching repertoire is deep and should translate well to the college game.
“I have five pitches, but I rotate mainly between three or four. It is well-known that I am a rise-ball pitcher. Being able to get my change-up locked in last season, which moves down, really helped me,” Smallwood said. “I have grown to be comfortable with it. When I first started high school, I wouldn’t throw it, but it has grown on me. I need to be able to throw it for a strike every time instead of a miss pitch. That is one of the most important pitches I can have.”
Woodrow Wilson will move to the newly formed Class AAAA division in softball this year and Smallwood is hoping it will translate to postseason success.
“We lost our whole field last year, so I am a little nervous, but I think we have enough talent to get out of the section,” Smallwood said. “That is my goal this year. It will be a dream come true to go to the state tournament, but it is one step at a time.”
