Ashville’s Amy Shaw is quick to point out that, when she was little she was an Auburn fan but as she got older, she switched to rooting for the Alabama Crimson Tide.As the softball enthusiast graduated from high school, her allegiance to the Tigers returned and she became the first fast-pitch softball player in the county to sign a scholarship with a Southeastern Conference School, playing 2005-06 with Auburn University.
Softball starts
Shaw started playing T-ball at the age of 5 and was the youngest one on a team that had boys and girls. She played T-ball at the Ashville City Park for two years before moving on to play on a slow pitch softball team in Steele.
School
Her education career started as a home-school student before moving on to a Christian School, but by the time she was in the fourth-grade, she was at Ashville Elementary School
Varsity level
Shaw’s move to the varsity softball level came early as she was in the eighth-grade at Ashville. It was also her first experience of fast-pitch softball.
“I hated it, I hated it,” was Shaw’s first thoughts of fast-pitch softball. “But I adapted because I had a real good coach. Coach McClendon was out of Birmingham, and he was a real big mentor to the softball program and getting it started in Ashville. Coach Julius Cook was my first coach at Ashville.”
Five-year starter
Shaw made the most of her opportunity and became a five-year starter in centerfield for the Lady Bulldogs.
“I made a lot of good memories while at Ashville,” Shaw said. “We made it to the state tournament in Montgomery four out of my five years on the team. We didn’t do too well but we did make it and that was a huge accomplishment.”
Shaw said the team was much better her second year than her first year and she had a much better feel for fast-pitch softball. It was in Shaw’s second year that Terri Moore became the new head softball coach.
Recognitions
Shaw’s best year was her junior year in 2000, when she was named an All-State player and named the MVP of the St. Clair County Tournament as she help lead the Lady Bulldogs to the county championship.
“My junior year was what really put me on the map,” Shaw said. “My senior year was not as good, but I was named honorable mention to the All-State team.”
Four of the five years, Shaw hit over .400 from her leadoff position.
Other sports
While at Ashville, Shaw also played basketball and ran track, but softball was her sport and the sport that would take her to the next level.
“I never dreamed while I was playing T-ball that softball would one day be my ticket to a major university,” she said. “I had small dreams of maybe playing at Gadsden State or Jacksonville State. It really transpired into a lot more.”
Division I material
When asked when she knew she could one day play softball at a Division I school, Shaw said she was 7 years old and playing against an 8 and younger team. She was playing third base, had a shot hit at her and made an unbelievable catch.
“I thought I must have some kind of talent because I don’t know how I caught it,” Shaw said. “I knew from that moment on, softball was what I wanted to do.”
When she graduated from Ashville High School in 2001, Shaw was one of the best softball players in school history.
Where to go
Growing up, Shaw was an Auburn fan. Once she got to high school, Alabama’s softball program was reaching new heights and she really wanted to play for the Crimson Tide.
“I just didn’t make the criteria to get into Alabama,” Shaw said. “They were put on probation that year and were unable to take conditional athletes.”
Other colleges pursuing Shaw included Rhode Island, Hawaii, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Birmingham-Southern, just to name a few.
Shaw did sign with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and it is believed she is the first female athlete in St. Clair County to sign a Division I scholarship in any sport.
Transfers
It did not work out at UAB for Shaw so she transferred to Wallace State Community College in Dothan, where she played for two years. She was named Third Team All-American her final year there.
When Wallace State played (and beat) Auburn in a game, Shaw caught the eye of Auburn head coach Tina Deese.
Deese signed Shaw to a scholarship to play her final two years at Auburn University, and Shaw signed the day before classes started.
“It all happened really quick,” Shaw said.
Playing at Auburn
Shaw said it was great playing for Auburn and she made so many memories there.
“I can’t even begin to describe what it was like and it was a great experience,” she said.
Again, the junior year was the best one for Shaw. She started all 67 games as the centerfielder and had a total of 45 putouts. She finished tied for the lead in triples with three, stole 7-out-of-9 bases, nine sacrifice hits, and was named to the SEC All-Tournament team that year.
During the SEC Tournament, she went 4-for-10 at the plate, scored two runs and had three putouts from centerfield.
The Lady Tigers did not win the SEC Tournament that year but did go on and play at the regional tournament where they lost to Florida State.
Senior year
While the Lady Tigers advanced to the Super Regionals during Shaw’s senior year, injuries and sickness plagued her during that final year. She started most of the games but tore a hamstring and then had tonsillitis.
“It took me awhile to recover in my senior year,” she said. “The hamstring was pretty bad and it took me some time to get back out there in centerfield. It always seemed like my junior years were better for me, in high school and college.”
Shaw graduated Auburn in 2006 with a major in psychology and a minor in coaching.
Playing in the SEC
Her last game in an Auburn uniform was in the Super Regionals in a loss to Arizona.
“Playing in the SEC was really different,” Shaw said. “It was a lot quicker, more complex game. The coaching is smarter, and there is more to the game than just a typical high school game. It was a real eye-opener when I got there. The biggest adjustment I had to make was the pitching. Man, can those girls pitch. There is more movement on the ball. They have more pitches, and adapting to the ball was the toughest thing for me.”
Shaw said it was a great honor just to put the Auburn jersey on.
“I could have played at Alabama or Auburn,” she said. “I know I made the right choice playing for Auburn. The whole university in general is family-oriented.”
Life after college
Shaw has moved back to Ashville. She has a 10-month-old daughter, Rylann Shaw.
“We are already working on throwing because she is going to be an athlete for sure,” Shaw said.
Shaw said she would eventually go back to grad school somewhere close by like UAB or JSU.
