Riley Ludlam from Fort Myers concludes her softball career with a victory in the Women’s College World Series, playing for Oklahoma.
After winning a state championship at Fort Myers in 2017, Riley Ludlam felt she had achieved the ultimate success.
Back then, as a high school sophomore, if you had told her she was only beginning, she wouldn’t have believed it.
However, in her last year of college softball, Ludlam reached the pinnacle once more as Oklahoma swept No. 1 Texas to clinch the Women’s College World Series, contributing to the Sooners’ fourth consecutive championship victory.
Ludlam expressed deep gratitude, saying, “I feel incredibly grateful. Not many people get to experience winning a high school state championship, let alone competing in the College World Series. So the fact that I achieved both is something I can’t quite believe. I attribute it partly to luck; it shouldn’t have worked out this way for me. But I think it also stems from my genuine passion for the sport and the strong bonds I’ve formed with my teammates throughout my career.”
However, it wasn’t just luck. After graduating from Fort Myers in 2019, where she earned a pair of regional titles, the catcher pursued her playing career at Furman University, where she continued to develop and excel.
By her junior year at Furman, she had earned a spot on the All-Southern Conference First Team and led the Paladins in several categories including home runs (7), RBIs (35), and doubles (15), boasting a .497 slugging percentage. In her senior season, she was honored as the SoCon Player of the Year, batting .372 with 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 15 doubles, all while maintaining a .988 fielding percentage and making just two errors in 168 chances behind the plate.
Despite Ludlam’s standout performance at Furman, the Paladins struggled with a 68-112 record during her four-year tenure there. Ludlam herself hadn’t anticipated finishing her collegiate career at a program as renowned as Oklahoma. However, the Sooners’ coaching staff recognized her potential as a graduate transfer and expressed their enthusiasm to maximize her final year.
“Throughout the entire summer, I had assumed I wouldn’t be going to Oklahoma,” Ludlam recounted. “So when [head coach Patty Gasso] called and I started the season there, I was like, ‘Wow, we’re going to the World Series. This is really happening.’ I never would have imagined in a million years that I would be fortunate enough to end up there.”
It took Ludlam around a month to acclimate to life in Norman. She found herself in a completely new environment, adjusting to everything from the facilities and the structured program to the excitement surrounding the softball team.
“There were many adjustments I had to make,” Ludlam reflected. “There were more practices, more emphasis on weights, and deeper discussions about sleep and hydration, which I really valued. These were aspects I didn’t pay as much attention to at my previous school, so I appreciated that.”
