By Chris Cox

At Dale High School, championships are how teams are measured. With a combined 11 state titles in slow pitch and fast pitch softball, Karsen Griggs knows the expectations.

“We want to uphold the legacy at Dale,” Griggs says. “I’ve had two sisters (Ryanne and Sydney) go through the softball program here at Dale, one being a four-time state champion and the other was a six-time champion. There’s a legacy to uphold and winning is a tradition. Dale is a special place, and it creates you to be a winning athlete and to have a winning mentality in everything that you do.”

While upholding that tradition and winning championships drives Griggs, it’s the desire to compete that gets her excited every time she steps out on the diamond.

“I love to compete in everything I do,” she admits. “I love to win. Here at Dale, we don’t lose often and when we do, we take it hard. I take winning and competition to the extreme. I love competing and I’m going to give it everything I got.”

That competitive spirit is likely working overtime this year for Griggs, who missed last year’s fast pitch season with a torn ACL.

“It’s hard to sit on the sidelines and watch your team play the game you love,” she says. “Now, getting to return and be a part of an amazing group of girls that has the same end goal and drive is amazing to be a part of. Sitting on the sidelines taught me not to take anything for granted because don’t know when it will be gone.”

Griggs, who is just a junior, is seeing her college recruitment heat up.

“It’s been fun and exciting but also a bit worrisome,” she admits. “You have the thought in the back of your mind of who is going to make the phone calls on September 1st and who is not. You also have some expectations set out for yourself of the goals you want to meet in life and what college can fulfill those.”

When she’s not on the field, Griggs is also involved with student council and FCA.