Cumberland University has snapped up another Tigerette softball star.
Pitching standout Kayley Caplinger signed with Cumberland Tuesday to play softball after graduation. Caplinger is a senior at DCHS this year.
Caplinger was joined by her family, members of the Tigerette team, former Tigerette Head Coach Danny Bond, Head Coach Danny Fish, who takes the helm this year after Bond’s recent retirement from coaching, and Cumberland Coach Heather Stanfill.
“This is a huge moment I’ve worked for my whole life with help from my coaches and family,” Caplinger said at the signing.
Caplinger said she fell in love with Cumberland University on her first visit.
“I really love the small campus, and the team really works together, and I love how close it is to home,” Caplinger said. “I really wanted to be able to stay at home and play.”
She said the road to success did not come easily, however.
“I’ve had to really work hard,” she shared. “When I was younger I honestly didn’t start out wanting to pitch. I was playing third base, and I remember telling my dad how bored I was not getting enough balls. He asked me one day if I wanted to try pitching, because I’d get the ball every time. From there I had to really work for it, but I made it.”
Bond said that Caplinger is an all-around player, and that he was pleased to work with her for the last three years.
“She’s as capable of hitting a homerun as she is throwing a strike,” Bond revealed. “It’s really hard to describe what she’s meant to this program. She’s been a cornerstone and a foundation for our success for the last three years, and I’m sure she will be this year also. She is very dedicated and her work ethic is tremendous. She works on the game almost on a daily basis. She has a great family. She lost her dad (Tracy Caplinger) last year, and it took a lot of courage to come back and play. I think Cumberland is really getting a great player and she will do well there.”
Fish said Caplinger will be remembered as one of the best DCHS softball players ever.
“We’re very happy for Kayley. She’s put a lot of hard work into this, and I’m glad to see her go to Cumberland. We have sort of a DeKalb recruiting trail there. We’ve sent a lot of players to Cumberland, and were happy for Kayley to be the latest. Coach Stanfill does a great job, and we’re sure Kayley’s going to do a great job for her.”
Fish said that while Caplinger has made plans after graduation, she still has one more season to play for the Tigerettes.
“Cap has a chance to go down in the record books as one of the greatest Tigerette players of all time,” he shared. “That’s just her character and the work she has put in. We hope she continues her success this season and beyond.”
Stanfill said Caplinger will have the opportunity to make her mark right away at Cumberland.
“I’m very excited,” Stanfill said. “I think Kayley will come in and be an impact player right away, which is great. As a freshman it’s sometimes hard when you step up to the college arena, but I think she will be able to come in and be able to make an impact immediately.”
The Cumberland coach said that pitching skills are in demand in her program.
“The last couple of years we have struggled a little bit,” she shared. “Pitching has been one of our biggest issues, so that’s why we are really grateful to bring Kayley in and have her be able to contribute so quickly. We expect good things this year and in the future.”
Stanfill said her program has a history of picking up good players from DCHS.
“We love DeKalb County,” Stanfill exclaimed. “The girls we’ve gotten from here in the past made big contributions to our program. We got Victoria Bennett a few years ago, and we got Tyra Graham last year, and now Cap. We’re always excited about the quality of the players we get from DeKalb County.”
Caplinger led an impressive Tigerette squad to a regular district season win, through the district tournament and region tournament, and to a fourth-place finish in the team’s third consecutive state tourney appearance. The Tigerettes finished the season with record of 35-6-1.
