Shelby Walters goes into her senior softball season at Girls Preparatory School not only as a proven pitcher but as a Duke University recruit for the 2018-19 school year.
Her signing of a national letter of intent with the new Atlantic Coast Conference program was celebrated Thursday evening on the GPS campus. Duke is in its first year of softball, but Walters quietly committed on an unofficial visit in September 2015, just a few months after Marissa Young was hired to coach the team.
"We kind of kept it under wraps," said the 5-foot-10 right-hander, who was a Best of Preps second-team selection after the Bruisers finished second in the Division II-AA state tournament last spring. "But I've been up there a lot."
She has watched a Duke basketball game in famed Cameron Indoor Stadium, and she said the "culture" of the school as well as its academic prestige was a big draw. And she likes the idea of being part of "building something great" in a big-time conference.
"You don't get an opportunity like that every day," said Walters, who also had a scholarship offer from North Carolina and interest from Georgia and Mississsippi, among others.
"Shelby is one of the hardest-working student-athletes I've had in my 27 years of teaching and coaching," GPS coach Susan Crownover said. "Since I've known her she's had a goal in mind to play Division I softball and be a top student, and she's done that. She's put in a lot of work to make that happen. She has determination."
As a pitcher, the coach said, "She's a power pitcher, and there's a lot of late movement in her fastball. Her curveball is pretty awesome too, and she's developing other pitches.
"She's a good kid and she loves softball. She's excited about her senior year here, and she's excited about going on to Duke."
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.