Shelby Wickersham was recently named by FloSoftball as one of the top 10 prospects in the 2018 class, and she realized a lifelong dream last week when she signed with the in-state LSU Tigers, the alma mater of her father, Jeff, who played QB for the SEC school before playing for the Miami Dolphins in the mid-1980s.

The 5-foot-11 pitcher — who was also a First-Team FloSoftball All-American after leading her Mt. Carmel Academy (Metairie, LA) to a state title as a junior and was voted by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association as the Most Outstanding Player at the Class 5A level — also won a state title for her school on the volleyball court, but had a tough decision to make recently about her two-sport prep career.

FloSoftball caught up with the senior over the weekend to get her reaction on being part of the Tigers’ outstanding — and large — signing class of eight and what it’s like taking pitching lessons from her future college head coach!

Tell us about feelings about finally being able to sign and be official?

I’m so excited . . . I couldn’t tell you about a time when I was more excited in my life! I feel like everything that I’ve worked for and tried to accomplish has come true. It’s really a dream come true, to sign with my dream school.

Go back in time and recap the recruiting journey with LSU...

I’ve always loved LSU since I was little, because my dad went there and played football for them. I’ve always been a huge fan and started going to their pitching clinics with (LSU head) coach Beth (Torina) and loved her way of coaching. I eventually took an unofficial visit there and on that visit I got offered. It literally took me 15 minutes to decide; I knew that was where I belonged. Once I walked on the campus, I felt this sense of relief, like I was home and where I was meant to be.

How old were you when you first started going to the pitching clinics?

I first started going when I was around 12 — it was in 2012 — and I committed on September 5, 2014, when I was a freshman.

Describe how you committed to the LSU staff.

I was on LSU’s campus at the time because it my unofficial visit and I got offered that Friday evening after taking a tour. My parents and I were watching the girls practice and talking about it (committing) and after the practice had ended we walked up to coach Beth and told her, “I want to be a Tiger; this is where I feel like I belong!” It was really exciting too because I honestly had no idea that it was going to happen. I would never have dreamed I’d be offered that early so when it happened I was first in shock but then I knew; it always felt like that it was the place I wanted to go, so it didn’t take me any time to decide.

Were you considering other universities at all?

I had already looked at a couple of other schools at that time, but after that I knew I didn’t need to go look at any other ones because I knew that LSU would be my home.

Talk about your signing experience... where and how did you do it?

It was at school, we did it in the Assembly Center, which is our biggest of three gyms at Mt. Carmel and we did in the lobby by the trophy cases. We got to invite our friends and family and I also invited my pitching coach, coach Matt Uhle, who is like my second dad — I’ve been working with him since age 10. He actually helped me with recruiting; my parents and I had no idea recruiting started this early! 

His daughter, Lauren Uhle, played at LSU and he knew what to do in encouraging me to get on a travel team. Lauren had played for the Marucci Patriots and coach Matt called coach Darrell (Landry), whose daughter is Bailey Landry, the LSU All-American — and coach Matt told him, “Listen, there’s this girl I’m working with now and I think she’d love to be on your team, do you think you could let her try out?” Coach Darrell said, “Sure, let her come out.” 

It was Christmas Eve morning and I was 13 years old at the time when I tried out. My mom was like, “You all are crazy, but go ahead and do it!” So my dad and I drove to Baton Rouge and they said, “Yeah, we’d love to have you on our team!” So that next summer I played with them in a couple tournaments and in some 14U tournaments and the following fall I started getting looks before I committed to LSU.

There’s a very strong LSU tie-in with your club team then...

Yes, as I said coach Landry is Bailey’s dad and sometimes she’ll come help work with the team. Recently, she went to Houston and helped us out so it’s really awesome being surrounded by the LSU girls and I know some of them too because they played for the Patriots with me in the past, like Claire Weinberger, Sydney Bourg, (and) Elyse Thornhill. We all played for the Patriots under coach Darrell. It’s nice to have played with them before and current there are two other 2018s on my club team who are going Taylor Tidwell and Jordyn Perkins — who also played school ball with me. All three of us play for the Patriots right now and 2019 LSU commit Victoria Abrams is with us too.

How far are you from the LSU campus?

I’m about an hour and a half. I live in Metairie which is right outside New Orleans.

You’ve been able to work out with Coach Torina for a while now, what’s that been like?

She does pitching clinics all fall, and I go to her clinics once a week which is helping me to grow and get better. I go every Monday; it’s a long drive, but I’m used to it by now. My dad drives and I use the time to do my homework. Even though I can drive, my homework is very important to me and I use the time to catch up on my studies. I’m trying to get valedictorian for my school this year so I study and get my homework done so when I get home around 8 or 9 PM I can take my shower and go to sleep and have everything done school-wise.

How many clinics is that, then, where you get to work out with your future college head coach?

I think it’s eight sessions in the fall and maybe a couple more in the spring. They still have to follow the rules and regulations of the NCAA as to when they can hold them and when they can’t. 

How many players go to a typical LSU pitching clinic?

There’s a lot there but they typically split them into separate age groups. There’s five in my age group that come, which is nice because it’s kind of individualized. They have other pitching assistants there too. 

That must be a cool experience, being with coach Torina and learning from her...

It really is. I’ve gotten to learn the ropes essentially and just to get to know her as a coach and her to know me as a player has helped our bond and it has helped me with pitching mechanics and other pitching issues. For her to fix my mechanics before I even get there and to get the advice she gives her players at LSU — that’s the most important part to me, the fact I’ll be shaped the exact way she wants me to be when I get on campus.

You’ve had a great two-sport career in high school, but you recently had to make a big decision to give up volleyball...

Yes, the biggest point in my making that decision had to do with my goal of working to be valedictorian. I felt to start the year off strong, I needed to spend more time on academics. Also, although volleyball is a great workout, I didn’t feel I was getting in softball shape as much. Taking the fall off, I have definitely felt myself grow as a pitcher because I work out before school and then I pitch after school. I want to give myself the best opportunity to be ready when I get to LSU to play early and I felt that I have a lot more room to grow to be the best player I can be. Also, I was nervous about ACL injuries: one of my volleyball friends tore her ACL playing club volleyball and was out for the whole year and that that freaked me. It was a little nerve-wracking after seeing that and I didn’t want to take the risk; it’s too close to college season.

Was that tough telling your state title-winning coaches and teammates you wouldn’t play volleyball anymore?

It was extremely hard because I love my volleyball coaches and I love my teammates. We’re still close and they made the state playoffs and I went to cheer them on. I just felt it was my best interest if I didn’t play and they all understood that. The coaches were very considerate in listening to how I felt about it and that made it that much easier for me because it was already hard enough, but they were all very understanding.

You’ve received a lot of honors and accomplished so much including making it as a Select 30 All-American in August, which had to be doubly sweet as it was in Bouton Rouge.

It was awesome; it was actually right by Tiger Park and a bunch of LSU stuff was going on at the same time, too. It was crazy in that we were getting to compete with girls from all over the country going to different colleges and it was a great experience to play against that level competition.

What’s been the best softball experience of your career?

I really think it’s just getting to be on different teams with different people and connecting with some of my best friends and competing and playing the sport I love. All of that has been awesome, but to this day signing that letter of intent was the greatest feeling; I can’t even describe it. Just knowing that everything you worked for has paid off and that I’ll be getting to play for my dream school. It was just so exciting for me.