Lexi Harrington of Sorcerer Gold is one of the top prospects in the 2017 class and committed to the Univ. of Arizona two weekends ago (weekend of Nov. 14-15).

I caught up with the sophomore catcher this week to learn more about her softball background and why she’s happy to become a Wildcat…

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FullCountSoftball.com: Tell us about your softball beginnings…
Lexi Harrington: I began playing softball when I was six years old and I began playing club/travel ball when I was nine years old.

FCS.com: What is it you love most about the sport?
LH: I love playing softball because it is a team sport with many individual competitions and situations within it. As a player, you have to be able to deal with failure and adversity because it is a big part of the game.  You have to have a plan and be able to make adjustments to your competition during the game.

Also, I love the friendships softball creates because teammates always have each others’ backs.  You have to lean on each other at times, and be there for others when they need it. Playing softball teaches you a lot of life lessons.

FCS.com: What are some of your proudest softball accomplishments?
LH: One is playing for Coach Bill Schroll’s 14U Sorcerer team when we took 3rd place in 2013 at 14U Premier Nationals.  We had to win six games in a row on Thursday and then play at 8 am on Friday to get into the championship game.  I caught 12 of our 13 games that week.

Another would be playing last summer for Coach Pete Aguayo’s Sorcerer 18 Gold team. We went 10-1 in the 2014 Colorado Independence Day Tournament and tied for 3rd. 

FCS.com: Let’s talk Arizona… how did the recruiting process go from the coaches first finding you to your recent commitment?
LH: Coach (Mike) Candrea and Coach (Stacy) Iveson saw me play last summer at Surf City and PGF Nationals.  I went to their Elite Prospect camp in late September and a couple weeks later Coach Pete said they liked my performance at the camp and were interested in me.

I called Coach Iveson and set up an unofficial visit date.  Coach (Caitlin) Lowe came up north and watched me play at the Nor Cal Organization Challenge in Salinas in late October.  I then went on my unofficial visit on November 14th and verballed to Coach Candrea and the University of Arizona on the 15th.

FCS.com: Did you check out other schools?
LH: I had visited a couple local schools, a couple schools on the West Coast, several Pac-12 schools, an SEC school, and had a visit planned for a school in the Big East.

FCS.com: What was it about the UA program that sold you on playing there?
LH: I love Tucson and the weather and the facilities are great.  Coach Candrea, Coach Iveson, Coach Lowe, and Coach (Jenae) Leles, and the Wildcat family are awesome! The tradition of the program and the reputation of Coach Candrea and the Wildcat family speak for itself.

FCS.com: The moment of committing is always an exciting one, how did that play out?
LH: I met with Coach Candrea in his office and we had a great discussion. I felt the “This is it” connection, and when he said, “We want you to be a Wildcat,” I  told him “I want to be a Wildcat!” and gave him a big hug!

Our meeting couldn’t have gone better and the weekend couldn’t of gone better. I saw the basketball team win that Friday night and the football team pull out a last second win on Saturday.

FCS.com: You have a few years til you are in Tucson permanently; what will be your focus until you get there?
LH: Being a sophomore in high school, I currently have a 4.0 GPA and I know I have a lot of hard work to do in the classroom, my workouts, and on the field, and I will be doing it with one thing in mind: “Bear Down!”