A grand slam, six more home runs and 20 RBIs this season for senior infielder Kourtny Thomas is just the beginning, as she has even higher hopes for herself as well as Georgia Southern University’s softball team.

“I am just trying to take it game-by-game, every day, every practice, every lifting, everything we do. I’m just trying to make sure that it’s the little things that will amount to winning SoCon three times in a row. So, I just try to focus on the small things and not think about winning this game or that game, just every game, every day,” Thomas said.

Thomas is an Eagle that performs in every single game she plays, but GSU was not the beginning for this player. Her freshman year, she played for the University of Tennessee and did quite well for her first year.

“I went through a lot being far away from home, different challenges. It has helped me grow, just as a person in general. It opened my eyes to a lot more, so I’m more aware of just the little things in life and in sports. It was definitely a great learning experience,” Thomas said.

Thomas saw coming to GSU as her opportunity to have a fresh start and to just wipe the slate clean. As an Eagle, she has posted statistics and earned accomplishments that will remain with GSU for quite some time, but that isn’t what she wants people to focus on.

“I want to leave a legacy of confidence. I want people to view me as someone who was confident every time I stepped into the batter’s box, every time I took my position; someone they can look up to or always lean on and ask questions,” Thomas said. “I want to be that person that everyone knew, hey, you can always go to her.”

The Eagle softball team is already off to such a great start, and is definitely in the running to win that third consecutive Southern Conference title. This is a tremendous goal in itself, but Thomas is reaching for an even bigger goal, and that is to go to the World Series.

GSU will continue their play at the Tennessee Tournament on March 8 and March 9, ending the weekend with a game against Thomas’s previous university, UT.