Alexx Waitman Commits To Oklahoma

Alexx Waitman Commits To Oklahoma

2021 Alexx Waitman recaps her visits Tennessee, Oklahoma State, and Florida before committing to the University of Oklahoma.

Apr 4, 2017 by Chez Sievers
Alexx Waitman Commits To Oklahoma
2021 shortstop Alexx Waitman had some of the top programs in the country on her recruiting trail as an eighth-grader. After talking with college coaches and attending prospect camps, she finally committed to her dream school. Here is her story.

Hi! My name is Alexx Waitman. I'm 14 years old, and I live in Tuttle, Oklahoma. I'm a 2021 shortstop. I have played softball since I was 6. When I was 8 years old, my dad took me to the Women's College World Series. That's when I knew I wanted to play college ball. My top three schools were always OU, Florida, and Tennessee.

I played in my first college showcase tournament in the fall of 2015 in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The University of Tulsa and Kansas watched me. They both talked to my coach after a game and told him they were very interested in me. Tulsa invited me to its prospect camp and Kansas started sending me letters.

Alexx Waitman Visits TennesseeI went to the University of Tennessee Slap and Speed Camp a couple of times, and while I was at their Winter camp in December, coach Ralph Weekly invited me on a visit.

In January, during my seventh-grade year I went to an Oklahoma State camp, and before it was over coach Kenny Gajewski asked to talk to me and my dad. He invited me on a visit as soon as possible. At the end of my visit to OSU, he offered me a scholarship.

Last spring and summer a lot of Division I coaches came to watch me play. Mississippi State, Nebraska, Arizona, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma were some of the biggest.

Last April, OU coach Patty Gasso contacted my coach and invited me to her prospect camp. After my second prospect camp in May, Gasso pulled me aside and told me she wanted me to be a Sooner! She told me she knew I was young and wanted to respect my process, but when my family and I were ready to set up my visit, to call her. I was soooo excited! We have been Sooner fans forever.

At the start of my eighth grade year, I started playing with our 16 Gold team. Right before our season started, coach Tim Walton from Florida contacted my organization and asked for me to call him. I was super pumped, because Florida has always been one of my favorite schools. He was very easy to talk to, and I couldn't wait to go on my visit. He actually sent someone to watch my middle school softball game.

Last fall, I finally went on my visit to Tennessee. We had a great time there. I did their prospect camp, and then we got to watch the Tennessee versus Florida game. The next day they took me around, and at the end of the visit Coach Weekly said he was aware of all the schools who wanted me.

About two weeks after I got back from Tennessee, Coach Gasso called my coach and said she wanted to set up my visit to OU. It was everything I thought it would be but even better. At the end of the visit, we sat down to eat. Coach Gasso looked at me and said, "Alexx, I recruit the elite of the elite. And you are that kind of player. That's why I would like to offer you an athletic scholarship to the University of Oklahoma."

I seriously couldn't even believe it. My mom cried A LOT, and my dad almost fell out of his chair. We were all in tears and just so thankful. I thanked God right there on the spot.

nullAs awesome as it was, I didn't accept the scholarship offer right then. It really was a dream come true, but I knew I still had my Florida visit set up. I wanted to see what UF was all about before I made my decision on where I wanted to spend four years.

So in October I went on my visit to Florida. I spent two days with Coach Walton and loved every second of it. He said he didn't want to put any pressure on me but that he definitely wanted me to be a Gator. He said he knew I was young and that he would never put any pressure on me to hurry and make any decisions. But if or when I did know that I wanted to play at Florida, he told me to let him know and we would get serious.

I came back home super excited about my opportunities. Although I got to meet so many great coaches, I knew in my heart where I belonged. On October 28, I had my dad drive me over to OU, and I handed Coach Gasso a picture of me, her, and assistant coach Melyssa Lombardi. On it I wrote, "I'm ready to be SOONERS together!"

null

Like What You See

Sign up for the FloSoftball newsletter for instant access to: Breaking News, Live Streams, Rankings, Technique Videos and more!