Ole Miss head softball coach Jamie Trachsel has announced the addition of Oklahoma transfer Brooke Vestal, adding the former high school All-American to the Rebel roster.
Spending the last three seasons as a part of the perennial powerhouse Sooner program, Vestal will have three years of eligibility remaining having redshirted in 2019 and receiving an extra year following the cancellation of the 2020 season.
Vestal signed with Oklahoma as a highly touted recruit out of Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas. At one point ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the nation by FloSoftball, Vestal was tabbed an All-American three times by the outlet, also reeling in MaxPreps All-American laurels twice.
Here’s a little of an article I found on her, (copied with the pics you guys always ask about LOL):
The 2018 Hot 100 list is complete--for now--and on Friday it was revealed that pitcher Brooke Vestal of New Braunfels, Texas remained on top as the No. 1 ranked player despite nearly half of the list being new after it was first introduced in the spring of 2015.
Brooke was an All-State selection and the District 29-4A MVP for her Canyon High team and at the club level led her Firecrackers-Rico team to the title at the PGF 18U Nationals.
Here, the University of Oklahoma commit talks about what it's like to be at the head of the list of such an outstanding class…
I must admit: it's a little awkward to see my name at the top of the 2018 Hot 100 list with so many great players on it.
I have faced or heard about just about every one of these girls and it's amazing to think that a number of these players will be in the Women's College World Series in 2019.
My softball life has been an interesting ride. We all start at the bottom. From there, it sounds like a great idea to face the best in the country until the time comes to throw the pitches.
Then a little fear sets in.
This post has been fun for me to write. I have thought about my softball life back to the beginning and I cannot count the awesome memories I have from this game.
Looking back reminded me what a great experience it has been. Thinking about my younger years has been a nice departure from the grind of preparing for the future, whatever that will be.
I love this game and what it has taught me. These are some of the memories that stand out and how each experience helped me learn what I had to do to improve:
9 years old… I cried after every practice for a month on my first club team (I had to get better).
Ages 9 to 11… I wore the a pink helmet. I thought it was cool (I had to dress better).
12 years old… I moved to a big name club team, couldn't hit the plate and sat on the bench (I had to get better).
13 years old… I started to improve and had some success (still, I had to get better).
14 years old… things started clicking, and I started to learn how to pitch (again, I had to get better).
Since then I have focused on steady improvement, and trying to learn as much as possible about the game and myself. I HAVE to get better to compete because the hitters are GOOD!
What a great game we play, and what a character builder it is!
The wins are awesome, the losses suck, and when it's over we have all learned a bunch. We remember the results, but I think the journey may be more important than the destination.
Every team I played on does it differently, but some of the core values I have learned are:
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After sitting out the 2019 season, Vestal made eight appearances in the circle for the Sooners during the shortened 2020 season, posting a 3-0 record in 25 innings of work. She started five games, garnering a 2.52 ERA with 22 strikeouts to just six walks. The righty finished the season with a complete game effort against Murray State, allowing one run on three hits while striking out a career-high eight batters. Following the season, Vestal was named an Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree.
OU returns almost everyone next year from a team that went 56-4 to win their fifth national championship. They have also signed seven players who are all ranked in the top 22 nationally in the 2021 recruiting class, according to Extra Inning Softball, including No. 1 overall prospect Jordyn Bahl, a pitcher from Nebraska, so it’s pretty easy to understand why Brooke is leaving OU.
I think this Is pretty much the equivalent of a former five-star recruit from Alabama in football who has been recruited over. Still, for a program like ours, she seems to be an excellent get, as we certainly need pitching and she has the type pedigree that would have been hard for us to sign out of high school.
I hope Keith gets to work on the facilities issue. As is, Coach Trachsel has now gotten two transfers, including the girl from GA Tech who looks like a slight upgrade on Jessica Puk-at least at the plate, and I believe she has signed 5 top 100 ranked recruits in the incoming class. I think we will be better next year regardless, but I really think we could have a national program if we can just build some competitive facilities.
Spending the last three seasons as a part of the perennial powerhouse Sooner program, Vestal will have three years of eligibility remaining having redshirted in 2019 and receiving an extra year following the cancellation of the 2020 season.
Vestal signed with Oklahoma as a highly touted recruit out of Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas. At one point ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the nation by FloSoftball, Vestal was tabbed an All-American three times by the outlet, also reeling in MaxPreps All-American laurels twice.
Here’s a little of an article I found on her, (copied with the pics you guys always ask about LOL):
Brooke Vestal 2018 No. 1 Hot 100 Player
Brooke Vestal writes about being ranked No. 1 in FloSoftball's Hot 100
Dec 24, 2016 by FloSoftball Staff
The 2018 Hot 100 list is complete--for now--and on Friday it was revealed that pitcher Brooke Vestal of New Braunfels, Texas remained on top as the No. 1 ranked player despite nearly half of the list being new after it was first introduced in the spring of 2015.
Brooke was an All-State selection and the District 29-4A MVP for her Canyon High team and at the club level led her Firecrackers-Rico team to the title at the PGF 18U Nationals.
Here, the University of Oklahoma commit talks about what it's like to be at the head of the list of such an outstanding class…
I must admit: it's a little awkward to see my name at the top of the 2018 Hot 100 list with so many great players on it.
My softball life has been an interesting ride. We all start at the bottom. From there, it sounds like a great idea to face the best in the country until the time comes to throw the pitches.
Then a little fear sets in.
This post has been fun for me to write. I have thought about my softball life back to the beginning and I cannot count the awesome memories I have from this game.
Looking back reminded me what a great experience it has been. Thinking about my younger years has been a nice departure from the grind of preparing for the future, whatever that will be.
I love this game and what it has taught me. These are some of the memories that stand out and how each experience helped me learn what I had to do to improve:
9 years old… I cried after every practice for a month on my first club team (I had to get better).
Ages 9 to 11… I wore the a pink helmet. I thought it was cool (I had to dress better).
12 years old… I moved to a big name club team, couldn't hit the plate and sat on the bench (I had to get better).
13 years old… I started to improve and had some success (still, I had to get better).
14 years old… things started clicking, and I started to learn how to pitch (again, I had to get better).
Since then I have focused on steady improvement, and trying to learn as much as possible about the game and myself. I HAVE to get better to compete because the hitters are GOOD!
What a great game we play, and what a character builder it is!
The wins are awesome, the losses suck, and when it's over we have all learned a bunch. We remember the results, but I think the journey may be more important than the destination.
Every team I played on does it differently, but some of the core values I have learned are:
- This is not easy on any level.
- Be on time and be ready to work.
- Go all out because your team-mates expect and deserve it.
- Expect nothing less from them.
- Work hard when you think nobody is looking.
- Play every day like it is your last.
- Enjoy it because we will miss it when it is over.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
After sitting out the 2019 season, Vestal made eight appearances in the circle for the Sooners during the shortened 2020 season, posting a 3-0 record in 25 innings of work. She started five games, garnering a 2.52 ERA with 22 strikeouts to just six walks. The righty finished the season with a complete game effort against Murray State, allowing one run on three hits while striking out a career-high eight batters. Following the season, Vestal was named an Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree.
OU returns almost everyone next year from a team that went 56-4 to win their fifth national championship. They have also signed seven players who are all ranked in the top 22 nationally in the 2021 recruiting class, according to Extra Inning Softball, including No. 1 overall prospect Jordyn Bahl, a pitcher from Nebraska, so it’s pretty easy to understand why Brooke is leaving OU.
I think this Is pretty much the equivalent of a former five-star recruit from Alabama in football who has been recruited over. Still, for a program like ours, she seems to be an excellent get, as we certainly need pitching and she has the type pedigree that would have been hard for us to sign out of high school.
I hope Keith gets to work on the facilities issue. As is, Coach Trachsel has now gotten two transfers, including the girl from GA Tech who looks like a slight upgrade on Jessica Puk-at least at the plate, and I believe she has signed 5 top 100 ranked recruits in the incoming class. I think we will be better next year regardless, but I really think we could have a national program if we can just build some competitive facilities.
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