SOFTBALL: CBA's Shingleton signs with UMO

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on November 18, 2016 9:57 AM

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PIKEVILLE -- A burning passion lies deep within Charles B. Aycock's Allison Shingleton.

It's a pure, unadulterated fireball of emotion that constantly pushes her to the next level. The internal inferno has been there all her life -- more than a decade of travel softball, Babe Ruth League World Series and of course, the past few years as a Golden Falcon.

The devotion firmly placed her in the crosshair of the University of Mount Olive. On Wednesday, Shingleton officially signed with the Trojans to continue playing the game she loves so dearly.

"It's very exciting," Shingleton said. "It's exciting to start another level. The (UMO) girls are cool, and it feels like a family...It's not all about softball there. It's also about getting to know each other, and school."

The senior, who hopes to pursue a major in biology, said UMO was her top choice.

The Trojan's appreciation for Shingleton began with a simple observation of the fundamentals.

"(The coaches) liked the way I bunted," said Shingleton, who plans on playing outfield at UMO. "And they were like, 'Oh, I'm going to remember your name!' And that's kind of how it all started."

But Shingleton's game goes beyond just bunting. During her junior campaign, the CBA standout went 10-0 inside the pitcher's circle, registered a 1.22 earned run average (ERA) and allowed just eight earned runs in 46 innings.

At the plate, Shingleton hit .419 and was third on the team with 29 RBI and 39 hits.

"I was very motivated for everything during the whole junior year," Shingleton said.

No other person may have gotten a better view of the stellar season than CBA head coach LaVon Matthews.

The veteran coach described Shingleton as a leader, and added that her approach to the game should be replicated by other players.

"You'd like for all your players to be like Allison," Matthews said. "She's very passionate, determined and wants to win. When she hits the field, she's serious. She's not going out there clowning around or going through the motions."

He said Shingleton -- as a pitcher -- has good control, hits her spots and has a changeup that keeps batters off-balance.

Shingleton was second on the team with three home runs last year, but Matthews characterized her as a contact hitter.

"She doesn't try for home runs," Matthews said. "And most of the time, that's when you're going to get your home runs -- when you're just trying to get a base hit to help the team. She's not all for Allison. She's for the team."

Matthews believes it's an attitude that will ease Shingleton's transition to a UMO program that finished 33-20 in the 2016 season.

However, first on the "to-do list" is avenging last year's loss to Enka in the 3-A state championship series.

"(The loss) made me work very hard for travel ball," Shingleton said. "But it's also made me want to become a new leader for this year, as well. I've been in the weight room and I've been doing stuff even just to strengthen myself mentally."

Shingleton said she has high expectations for CBA this season.

Similar to the determination that brightly shines inside her, the senior believes the Golden Falcons will exude a flame that no other team can extinguish.

"We should make it as far as we did (last year), if not win (the title)," Shingleton said. "I don't expect anything less. And I'm going to be mad if they think that we're going to lose out. We're going to win."

Passion personified.