Russellville’s Moore named Class 5A Pitcher of the Year

Confusion, followed by a slight panic, and then a little more confusion; disbelief, surprise, shock and then, finally, a lot of joy and happiness. Jacey Moore went through a range of emotions the morning of June 6th when the standout ace pitcher for the Russellville High School softball team discovered she was an Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Softball First Team selection and the Class 5A Pitcher of the Year.

“I found out (Thursday) morning really early. My mom and dad were leaving to go to work and my mom was like, ‘Jacey, come here!’ I didn’t know what she was going to tell me, and she kind of scared me a little bit. Then my dad read (the news) off to me,” Moore said. “When I found out I was in complete shock. I told my dad to read it off again, and then I said, ‘Let me see.’ Not too long after the shock started wearing off I had tears. Since this morning I have cried probably four or five times.

“I tear up again when I talk about it,” an emotional Moore added during her interview with the Franklin Free Press Thursday evening. “I just feel so honored.”

Moore, the All-Area Defensive MVP and the first major state award winner in the history of the Russellville softball program, may have been surprised by the honor, but her head coach, Rick Lawson, said there was no one more deserving. The award could not have been won by a more selfless and hard-working athlete.

“We played 50 ball games this year, and if I’d have let her—if Jacey had her choice—she would’ve pitched in all 50 games,” he said. “And that’s not her being selfish or anything. She came to me and said, ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever you need me to do to help our team be successful.’ So, if her pitching in 50 games would’ve helped us be successful, she would’ve been willing to do it. It was never about personal accolades for Jacey, it was all about helping the team win.

“When you have a player like Jacey, a player of her caliber, who works as hard as she does and is as unselfish as she is, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate her than for her to be the 5A Pitcher of the Year,” Lawson said. “I know there were a lot of worthy candidates for that award, but Jacey is a special person, and she is certainly deserving of it.

“Everything that she did this year leads me to believe that there’s not a better kid out there that deserves this award more than her,” he added.

Moore’s stat line her senior season speaks for itself. In the circle the right-hander started 29 games and tossed 188 and a third innings, allowing just 59 earned runs, 173 hits, and only 38 walks. She struck out a remarkable 260 batters, 56 of those looking, and ended the campaign with a 2.19 ERA. On the Lady Golden Tigers’ Senior Night, Moore threw a no-hitter (and hit a walk-off home run at the plate, too), giving her one of her 19 wins on the year. 

However, there may be one surprising thing about Moore’s selection for Pitcher of the Year: More times than not, yearly awards go to the players on state championship or runner-up teams. This year’s other two players of the year, Jasper’s Missy Odom and Alexandria’s Pressley Slaton, were from teams that battled each other for the state title. No one would deem a young team like Russellville’s postseason appearance in the regional tournament as unsuccessful, but it isn’t normally the level of team success needed for an individual to win a major yearly award. Lawson said it’s a massive sign of respect for Moore from the coaches and the ASWA committee, not just for her talent but for her conduct on the field, as well.

“It’s a huge statement because those awards usually go to the state finalist or the state runner-up, simply because those players are on those teams that make it so deep in the playoffs,” he said. “I go back to Jacey’s character. She was always calm, composed, and she led herself and her team out there with class.

“If you look at some of the teams we played this year—I’ll just use Huntsville and Springville as examples, two great teams in 7A and 5A, respectively. She goes out there and not only dominates in the circle, but the way she carries herself on the field, the other coaches will actually make comments about how great of a player she is,” he added. “Again, it’s just a huge statement, and it goes back to Jacey’s work ethic and how she carries herself on the field.”

For Moore, aside from the shock of it all, winning Pitcher of the Year served as a reminder that you never know who is watching you out there.

“I had no clue that I would get it because it usually goes to someone who wins state,” she said. “It’s just so amazing to me and I’m so blessed. Sometimes you don’t realize who’s watching and who’s paying attention. Sometimes you don’t realize that you can make a statement in big games.”

And there were plenty of big games for Moore and the Lady Golden Tigers in 2024. Remember those sterling statistics mentioned earlier? Those numbers came against some of the biggest schools and against some of the best competition in Alabama (and Mississippi, too). Moore wasn’t sitting down slouches.

“We had a really hard schedule this season, so our record doesn’t really describe how well we actually played,” Moore said, pointing out Russellville’s 26-23-1 record. “We played Athens, who won state (in Class 6A) this year; we only got beat by Jasper, who won state (in Class 5A) this year, by two runs; we played Orange Beach and we played Thompson.

“A lot of people focus on your record instead of the competition you play and how well your team plays,” she added. “Just because your team isn’t as successful or go as far as other teams, that doesn’t mean you’re any less or any better.”

Asked how she dials in for those big games, Moore said she leans on her faith, her family, and her teammates.

“I pray before every game, and I’m very confident in my team,” she said. “My sister (Jemma Moore) was on the same team as me, and if something ever didn’t go my way that’s who I looked to and she knew to come to me. That’s definitely one thing I’ll miss, getting to play the game with her.

“I wouldn’t have made it where I am and wouldn’t have gotten this honor without my teammates and my coaches. It takes everybody, and I’m just extremely grateful for them,” she added.

But a player also doesn’t do something like throw a playoff shutout against the No. 1 ranked team in 5A or sit down over 250 batters without a little bit of fire inside them. Moore has it. In interviews with the FFP over the course of the season, any time Lawson mentioned Moore, words and phrases like “bulldog mentality” and “fighter” and “desire” inevitably came up. Moore herself said she’s always been a natural competitor.

“I’m competitive and I have been since I was young, for as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to win and I’ve always wanted to be the best. I think sometimes you’re kind of born with that,” she said. “I know some people probably get tired of me because everything I do I try to be the very best at it. I know that God has blessed me with the ability to play and I learned that early on when I had success. I wanted to use my talent to give God the glory.

“I play the game very personally, and I take it offensively when anyone gets a hit off me or hits a home run or scores a run. I can remember who got a hit off me and who hit it where. If they do it one time, I’m not going to let them do it again, and that’s just how I’ve always been. I take it very seriously because it’s my life and I’m very passionate about it,” she added. “My mom always says, ‘Have a bad moment, not a bad game.’ If something goes wrong with the batter before, then the next batter I know I have to do better. Your reaction always matters and your comeback is what everyone is paying attention to and waiting to see.”

Earning a spot on the All-State First Team and winning Pitcher of the Year fulfills what was a career-long goal of Moore’s, but the journey to get there wasn't always smooth sailing. 

“I have dreamed of being Pitcher of the Year since ninth grade, since I learned what accolades you could earn in a season, and I set a goal then,” Moore said. “My 10th grade year I received honorable mention for the all-state team, so I set a goal for the next year to be the pitcher of the year. I started taking extra pitching lessons, and I learned a new pitch. And then I got hurt last year at the beginning of the softball season and missed half the season. At the end of the year I didn’t receive anything. I didn’t get anything local, I wasn’t on the all-area team—nothing.”

Lawson said Moore’s hard work and desire was evident to those around her, even if a lot of other people didn’t see it.

“Most people don’t understand how hard this kid had to work to come back from the injury she had her junior year,” he said. “Jacey was bound and determined to go out and make her senior season the best she could possibly make it.”

Moore, after battling adversity and disappointment, was bent on making her last year in black and gold her best year. She did that, and her comeback culminated in a special season.

“I struggled a lot last year. I had to sit and watch my team play without me a lot, and I wasn’t able to make memories with them as much as if I’d been out there with them. I knew at the end of last year I was going to work as hard as I could to get back to where I was, because I didn’t have the success I wanted,” she said. “This year I spent more time on it than ever, and I just took in the moment more. This was my last year and I just wanted to do the very best I could and be the best I could for my teammates and for everyone that comes to support us.

“Hard work always pays off and you’ve just got to trust God’s plan over your plan,” Moore added.

On deck for the new reigning 5A Pitcher of the Year is a playing career for the Northwest Shoals Community College Patriots. Moore said she had offers to visit other schools, but she isn’t quite ready to move away from home just yet. Being with her family is very important to her, and going to school at NWSCC gives her the opportunity to stay close to home and still continue her softball career.

“I’ve always prayed about where I needed to go and where God needed me to go, and whenever I went on my visit to Northwest Shoals, it just felt like family,” Moore said. “I knew I wanted to be a part of something local and something that was going to be special. Coach (Angel) Brown has done a tremendous job with her program. They’ve been successful, and I think they’re only going to keep getting better and better.”

Lawson predicts Moore will have an excellent college career, and, knowing Brown as a coach, believes Moore will only continue to grow as a player.

“I know the type of program Coach Brown runs, and with Jacey’s work ethic, under Coach Brown’s tutelage, I have no doubt Jacey will have immense success there,” he said. “The only limits Jacey has are the ones she puts on herself. The way she works and the way she approaches things, she has the opportunity to have a high level of success. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if after two years at Northwest Shoals, Jacey has the opportunity to go play at the four-year level beyond that.”

Moore said she’s excited about the new opportunities that NWSCC presents, both as a student and as a player. The uniform may be different, but inside the circle it’ll probably be the same Jacey Moore.

“I’m excited to play and meet new people and make new friendships,” she said. “And, you know, maybe win some big games.”