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Ashton Moorer has done something few, if any, Demopolis pitchers have done in their high school careers – reach 1,000 strikeouts.

The senior pitcher reached that milestone against Fairhope in the Gulf Shores spring break tournament in March. She didn’t know exactly when she’d reach the milestone. She sat at 997 heading into the final day of the tournament when it happened. 

“When I finally got it, I was like, ‘oh my goodness, I can’t believe it,’” Moorer said. “All my teammates just came running to the pitching circle. It was the best feeling ever to know that I have all my teammates behind me, and, the coaches, they all just love me so much. I can just look back after every pitch, and they’re encouraging me. I just know that they’re back there for me.”

The Lady Tigers fell in the game 4-0, but it didn’t dampen the excitement for the team. Head coach Stephen Clements said Moorer has been an integral part of the program since she was in seventh grade. 

“So she’s just been a cornerstone for Demopolis High School since she’s been here, and she’s done it the right way,” Clements said. “She’s done it with hard work, and she’s been a good teammate. She’s just really been a blessing for Demopolis High School, and everybody’s been a part of it.”

Clements also credited Moorer’s parents, Steven and Natalie, who have supported her all along the way. They’ve taken her travel ball tournaments and given of their time and money to make it happen. 

“It’s also a huge accomplishment for her parents,” Clements said. “It just shows the support that she’s got behind her. Her parents have been a huge part of that. I just can’t say enough about her, her family and the way they handle themselves and the way they do things.”

One of the players she’s tried to emulate has been former Alabama All-American pitcher Montana Fouts.

“I always just try to be like her and just keep my head up high and never get discouraged because everybody has bad days,” Moorer said. “But it’s really fun when you work really hard and can reach the good days because you can celebrate the good days with all your teammates and your coaches who have helped you work so hard and pushed you to be a better player.”

Coming into her senior year, Moorer knew 1,000 might be within reach.

“We calculated all my stats from MaxPreps and stuff, and then I was like, oh, I can do this,” Moorer said. “I really wanna get to a thousand. So I worked really hard, and I was thankfully able to hit it in the middle of the season.”

Some of her coaches include Andrea and Sarah Davis, Brandy Danley and Caitlyn White.

“I’ve had a lot of coaches throughout my 14 years that have helped me get to where I am today,” Moorer said. 

Her Demopolis coaches and her teammates have also been a key factor in her success in high school.

“They mean a whole lot to me. I couldn’t do anything without them. They always push me to be a better player and talk to me if I’m struggling when I come off the mound and gimme pep talks before I go out,” Moorer said. “If we have a really big game, we’ll all get together and then my teammates hug me before the game. They always encourage me to do better and just tell me that they got my back. They’re there to get any ball set or hit. So, I am really thankful and glad for that because they’re the best teammates. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Clements knows that there Moorer will go and be successful in life in addition to what she’s done on the ball fields.

“God’s got a plan for her, and he’s had his hands on her and kept her free of injury and let her talent that he blessed her with work,” Clements said. “She’s put forth the effort, looks forward to the work. Hats off to her because she deserves it.”

Moorer has talked with coaches who are recruiting her to play college ball, but her current plans are to study finance at the University of Alabama. If this is her final year to play softball after playing for 14 years, she feels good with how she’s going out.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better to happen during my senior season because I already have anything else I could ever want in the softball world with my school,” Moorer said. “So, I’m very blessed to be with all my teammates in my senior year so I can go out with my thousand.”