The Eagles are 20-17 and 6-3 in the conference so far this season Their play has put them in the thick of the Sun Belt title race and the pitching of true freshman, Dixie Raley, has been a major key to their resurgence.

Raley is one of only two true freshmen who play for Georgia Southern this season and she’s gotten a hot start to her career. She’s tied for wins in the Sun Belt as she boasts a 14-8 record. She is second in the conference with 12 complete games and sports a 3.57 ERA and 121 strikeouts.

The Eagles are now third in the conference with a 6-3 conference record trailing South Alabama and UL-Lafayette. They plan to pick up ground on their conference opponents behind her arm talent and their offense in their upcoming series matchups.

“I want to get more strikeouts, I’m third right now in the conference and I want to get closer to at least second,” Raley said.

Being a student-athlete and freshman in college, the difference between high school practices and collegiate practices were something that hit her on the first day.

“It wasn’t exactly how I thought it was going to be. I think it was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be, a four hour practice [that was pretty intense],” Raley said.

Her home, Milledgeville, and Statesboro are similar in the fact that they both have a small town feel, but there are a bit more people than her hometown, due to GSU’s presence. The best impression Statesboro has had on her so far has been the food and football. Raley and her teammates also love to go out to eat together and watch sports.

“We eat, we like to go out to eat a lot and watch sports. When the Super Bowl came on we got together and we just hang out and chill,” Raley said.

The chemistry shown between her and her teammates are shown in their games played this season. They always cheer her on when she struggles at the mound at times and help her when she gets frustrated. Her team is willing to help her through the ups and downs and there is no other person that has been through it all with her other than fellow true freshman and roommate, Hannah Farrell.

“We’re the only true freshmen on the team and we’ve kind of done this all together. She’s defiantly my go to person,” Raley said.

Raley’s experience at GSU, whether it’s sports or social, has shaped her into the person and player she is now and she’ll only continue to progress throughout her collegiate career. Her teammates will be crucial in her success going forward as well as her own mentality to keep getting better.

Her future is bright for her and for Eagle softball, but behind the stats and the game, Raley is a student-athlete who has adjusted to the college life and is enjoying her college experience.

Favorite Music Genre?

Country Music.

Favorite Song?

Low Life by Future feat. The Weeknd

Favorite Vacation Spot to visit in the future?

Bora Bora