The FHS softball team has a number of incredibly talented players, but their highlight is their highly skilled pitcher, senior Claire Keyser. Keyser has been playing softball for over 10 years, and what started as a regular childhood interest in that sport has grown into her passion and one of the most important things in her life.
Keyser started playing softball at the age of eight, and, since then, her sports career has been somewhat diverse. For a period of her life, she played with traveling teams that traveled mostly on the East Coast. She went to Rappahannock High School her freshman year, where she also played softball, and after that, she spent her sophomore and junior years at Highland Private School. Still, they did not have a softball team, to which Keyser said, “It made me realize how much I wanted to play softball my senior year, and that’s why I came to FHS this year.” She plans to continue her pitching career at Shepherd University after graduation.
Keyser is deeply loved and respected by the team. She is often described as an endlessly supportive, sweet, and intelligent teammate who always lifts the team’s spirit. “Everyone has welcomed her with open arms this year to the team, where she fits perfectly now and brings such good energy to the team,” said one of Keyser’s teammates, senior Ashley Heflin. It is worth adding that although Keyser only joined the FHS team this year, Heflin had the opportunity to play with her before when they were 12. She said that it was an “enjoyable experience to be able to play with her again.” One of the softball coaches, Craig Gilmore, has nothing but the most positive things to say about Keyser as he has known her since she was eight years old and, therefore, has the highest opinion of her. He believes that besides being positive and fun, she is “highly driven on the softball field and in the classroom, as she also works hard at everything she does.”
Keyser’s incredible skill is evident in one of Gilmore’s vivid memories of her, “She pitched a complete game shout out with ten strikeouts, and I believe one hit, which was the key since we won the game one-nothing.” Keyser is also highly admired and inspirational to younger softball players. One of them, freshman Viorica Dudash, shared, “I went to one of her games, and she was phenomenal out there.”
In the end, all of Keyser’s hard work paid off, and she was awarded a generous athletic scholarship from her coach. Keyser shared that in order to do this, she had to build a good relationship with her coach. After she saw firsthand how well Keyser played, she offered her a spot on the team and a scholarship along with it. Which she absolutely deserves, as it’s not every day that you find a pitcher as talented and overall a great person as Claire Keyser.
