WILLIAMSTON — As a student at Riverside High School Dasia Moore has an affinity for crunching digits, while as a softball player she as an infatuation with crushing fastballs.
The two passions recently came together to form a perfect combination as the Knights’ senior outfielder has accepted a scholarship to play softball at N.C. A&T where she will major in accounting.
Equipped with an outstanding blend of speed and power, Moore batted .310 as a junior last season while smashing three home runs and driving in 21RBIs to lead Riverside to the fourth round of the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs.
It was those numbers that drew the interest of Aggies coach Mamie Jones, who’s dedication to Moore paid off as she chose N.C. A&T over schools such as Coastal Carolina, UNC-Pembroke and Carolina Central.
“(Jones) has been looking at me the most and I liked their campus,” Moore said. “As an accounting major I thought going there would help me out the most.”
Moore’s signing thrilled Riverside coach Richie Ange.
“I’m really glad for her because she’s put in a lot of time and a lot of work,” Ange said. “Dasia plays school ball and a lot of travel ball and she’s done it for many years. I’m glad to see her getting something she worked hard for.”
Moore has started since she was a freshman and is capable of beating defenses with the short game as well as the long ball and has the speed to stretch singles into doubles.
With that kind of versatility, Moore is a threat anywhere you put her in the lineup.
“She started as a leadoff hitter last year but we moved her down in the order just to give us some run production,” Ange said. “She can run, but she also has quite a bit of power and she did a nice job driving in runs for us in the middle of the lineup.”
Moore, who has been playing softball since she was four years old, said Jones would like to develop the power aspect of her game.
“She wants me to continue to use my speed but she wants me to be a power hitter,” Moore said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I came in as a freshman batting leadoff and then went to the two spot as a sophomore and batted fifth last year. I don’t have a preference, I just want to play.”
Defensively, Moore has predominantly been an outfielder for the Knights but has also seen some time at shortstop. With the Aggies, Moore is expected to play the outfield where her speed and cannon-like arm will be most beneficial.
“When she’s in centerfield she can go get it just about anywhere,” Ange said. “And she’s got a cannon for an arm, she can really throw it. She’s thrown out several runners trying to get to the plate.”