RHS alum Moore ‘excited’ to join North Alabama softball program after two seasons at NWSCC

In June of 2024, Rick Lawson, the head coach of the Russellville High School varsity softball team, made a prediction about Jacey Moore. 

Moore, who at the time had just been named the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 5A Softball Pitcher of the Year following her senior season at RHS, had also announced her decision to continue her playing career at Northwest Shoals Community College. With that as context, Lawson told the Franklin Free Press this:

“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.”

Two years later, Lawson looks prescient. 

In March, Moore, during her sophomore campaign with NWSCC, signed with the University of North Alabama, giving her an opportunity to play at the NCAA Division I level.

Although Lawson spent just one year as Moore’s head coach at Russellville, in that short time, he said, it was apparent Moore was the real deal.

“You’d like to say you have a crystal ball—that would make my life as a coach a lot easier—but it’s really just seeing a player who really works hard at what they want, and Jacey is that type of player,” Lawson said.

“A lot of players get caught up in the glamour of the idea of playing college softball. And they may have the talent for it but they don’t have the fortitude,” he added. “But then you run across players like Jacey, and you can tell right away that not only does she have the talent to do it but she has the work ethic to go along with it. She truly wanted to excel, and she has the intangibles.

“When I made that statement two years ago, I meant it from the bottom of my heart. I felt that if Jacey wanted to achieve her goal of making it to a four-year program, she would work her tail off to do it.”

And she did. 

But the path from RHS to NWSCC to UNA wasn’t without its challenges.

Transitioning from high school to college life was a bit tough initially, Moore said. Both on and off the field at NWSCC there was more responsibility, more work to be done and more competition.

“You’re doing your school work and traveling for games and making sure you have everything you need for when you’re traveling because it’s a lot of responsibility on your own,” she said. “It’s a lot of growing up, especially that first fall. It’s a lot of maturing because it’s all on you now.

“You’re playing 60 games a year, you’re practicing all year round and you’re traveling a lot, so it gets pretty exhausting. That’s definitely an adjustment from high school,” she added.

“And now everyone on your team is good, so everyday is a battle for a spot. Everyone you come up against was probably the best player on their team in high school. So it was definitely an adjustment.”

Some of the changes were beneficial to her game, though. Focusing solely on pitching—another transition from high school—Moore was able to hone her craft. And she spent a lot more time in the weight room working out and getting stronger.

All of these things together—the maturing on and off the field and the sharpening of her skills through more intense preparation—paid dividends for Moore and the Patriots when she was in the circle.

In her freshman season, Moore made a good first impression. She was named the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Player of the Week three times, earned a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Player of the Week award, and was an All-ACCC Team selection. This past campaign she was an All-ACCC Honorable Mention. 

Over her two seasons with the Patriots Moore recorded nearly 250 strikeouts, including 140 her sophomore year when she threw 190 innings in 29 starts and 36 appearances. She finished with a low 2.15 ERA as a freshman, good for a program season record, and had a 2.76 ERA as a sophomore.

In addition to the accolades, Moore also gained something at Northwest Shoals that will help her even more now as she makes her next move to North Alabama: Experience.

“I think I’m more confident coming into UNA knowing I already have two years and all that experience at a two-year college,” she said. “We played a lot of bigger schools in the fall to prepare us for the spring…and there’s a lot of girls that could’ve played at a four-year (program) that play in junior college.

“I think the experience is going to help me tremendously because I think if I’d gone to UNA straight out of high school—there’s just a lot of growing up you have to do—I think I would’ve spent that entire first year trying to figure it out. Now I know what to expect,” she added. “I know there’s some difference—UNA is Division I and (NWSCC) is junior college—but the concepts and the speed of the game are the same.”

With her talent, her skill and her experience, one can see why North Alabama wanted to sign the rising junior. But there’s one more trait in Moore that has Lions head coach Ashley Cozart excited to see her new addition this fall: Passion.

"Jacey is such a special player. She threw against us in the fall (of 2025) and was lights out. The way she spins the ball and mixes speeds is what makes her so good. I'm looking forward to getting her in our weight room and with our pitching coach every day,” Cozart said. “She will also bring an instant leadership with her. She is such an awesome person who wants to win and has such passion for the game. I can't wait to start the season with her."

“I do not like to lose,” Moore said. “I’m a winner so I have a winning mentality. I want to be a good teammate and be a good leader and perform for my team.”

Moving on from NWSCC, Moore said she’ll miss her teammates, some of which have become her best friends.

“We’ve been together so much for so long we start running out of things to talk about,” she said.

But Moore added that she’s looking forward to joining her new UNA teammates, a few she already knows through competition.

Most of all, though, she’s thankful for the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream: To put on the purple and run out into the circle for the Lions.

“This is definitely an answered prayer. I’ve wanted to go to UNA for as long as I can remember. There’s even a picture of me when I was little holding up a UNA shirt at a football game,” she said. “I’m still going to be close to home, my family is still going to come and watch. It’s just amazing to see God’s plan for me unfold. I’m really grateful and really excited to get to play for UNA.”