For the last two springs, Ashlee Swindle as leading Curry High (Jasper, Ala.) to the Alabama 4A state championship in softball.
The 2015 title was the school’s first in any sport in its 94-year history. Last spring, she pitched shutouts in the state semifinals and finals.
Her effort was rewarded with the American Family Insurance ALL-USA High School Softball Player of the Year.
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This year, the 5-6 righthander was in the circle for Auburn. She made 15 appearances, with three starts, and had 12 strikeouts in 34 innings.
Swindle finished with a 2-1 record and 3.29 ERA. Opponents his .272 against her.
Ashlee Swindle (14) was a freshman for Auburn (Photo: Dakota Sumpter/Auburn Athletics)
She also was called upon to make her first career start as the Tigers, ranked seventh at the time, blanked SEC rival South Carolina, 2-0, on the road.
In 5 1/3 innings, she did not allow a runner to reach second base and struck out two.
“I was just really nervous, but excited at the same time,” she said. “I had all the [coaching] staff telling me just to trust myself and let my defense work.”
She was able to ease a bit into the college experience for an Auburn team that finished 49-12 and reached the NCAA Super Regionals.
Her high school numbers at Curry were eye-popping.
As a senior, Swindle finished 45-2 with a 0.59 ERA and 385 strikeouts in 262.2 innings. She held opponents to a .132 batting average and walked just 34 to post a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 11 to 1.
She also hit .557 and slugged .935 thanks to 13 homers and 14 doubles while driving in 86 runs. She reached base in 47 of her team’s 49 games.
Curry’s Ashlee Swindle pitches during Class 4A play in the AHSAA softball state championship tournament last spring (Photo: Dennis Victory/al.com)