ROBERSONVILLE — A dream season just got a little bit better for South Creek catcher Kim Mobley.
Just days after leading the Cougars to the NCHSAA 1-A state championship game, Mobley put the cherry on top of a sweet season by inking a National Letter of Intent to play softball for the Louisburg College Hurricanes next year.
Mobley, who will receive a scholarship to attend Louisburg, said the two-year school will serve as the perfect launching pad for her college softball career.
“I just feel like it’s the right place for me because I can start off at a place that’s not too big,” Mobley said. “It feels like another home, like South Creek. It’s a place that I feel like I can succeed academically and athletically.”
Mobley was being wooed by schools such as Pitt CC, N.C. Wesleyan and Methodist to name a few, but said in the end she felt the most comfortable at Louisburg.
It was a decision that was fully supported by her parents, Shelby and Terry Mobley.
“She was worried at the start of the year that nobody wanted her. It took a long time but it finally came together and I love it. I love Louisburg and I love the coach (Don Stopa),” Terry said.
Shelby was also thrilled with her daughter’s decision to be attend Louisburg.
“We had gone online and looked at a lot of different things and different schools but we wanted it to be a decision she made. We didn’t want to make the decision for her,” Shelby said. “I feel in my heart that she has made the right decision.”
Hurricanes coach Don Stopa was equally as happy on Thursday as he was able to pickup quality player late in the signing season.
“The biggest plus about it is to get a kid that’s this good this late, that’s a surprise” Stopa said. “Generally, it’s hard to find a player that good this late that hasn’t signed. I was happy to get ahold of her. She’s one of my top-three kids this year and I’m signing 12-15 kids.”
Stopa came across Mobley during South Creek’s playoff game against Franklin Academy and it didn’t take long for him to recognize her potential.
“That was the first time I got to see her and by the time she was done with the pregame I was impressed. This kid can play, flat-out,” Stopa said. “As a catcher, the arm is the big thing and you see that with her right away. I’ve been working with some pro catchers over the years in Arizona and what you look at in a catcher is their feet because you actually throw people out with your feet not your arm, and she has good feet. … Plus, stats don’t lie, she can hit.”
South Creek coach Patrick Herring can attest to that and said that he was thrilled to see his catcher go on to play college ball.
“It’s great to see Kim go on to the next level,” Herring said. “She’s meant a lot to this team and has been a great leader for this team. I’ll be sad to lose a player like Kim but I’m so proud that she’s able to go on to the next level and I wish her the best.”