Her freshman year in high school will be one that Cadi Shoemake will always remember.

“I really wasn’t sure how much she would contribute to our team as a freshman but she got my attention fast,” said coach Dusty Tidwell. “She ended up starting every game we played until an injury slowed her down at the end of the slow pitch season.”

Cadi played in the outfield and contribute she did, hitting .582 with a .649 on-base percentage for the Lady Pirates during the spring season. She also showed what a team player she was when Tidwell decided to make a lineup change.

“She started out hitting in the four or five-hole for us and was doing a great job. But I decided to move her to the nine-hole to give us a boost at the end of the lineup. Some kids might whine and mope about a move like that. But Cadi just rolled along like nothing was different,” said Tidwell. “She’s a very non-typical freshman in that nothing ever fazes her.”

The Lady Pirates enjoyed a good season going 27-12 before bowing out in the regionals. Shoemake being hurt might have played a part in that but even hurt, Tidwell said she did some clutch pinch hitting, hobbling to first after she got a hit.

Cadi gives credit to her sisters Harly and Madison who taught her a lot and gave her a competitive spirit and continue to motivate her. In addition to softball, Cadi is also active in FFA. Cadi’s highlight of her freshman year will also be a lasting memory.

“We were playing in a tournament in Okmulgee and it was the day after my papa passed away. Momma told me to go hit a good one for him so I went up and hit my very first out-of-the park home run.”