PHOTO | WT Media Relations
Sophomore pitcher Sarah Blair has been a big hit on the WT Lady Buff softball team this season. Having pitched 73 innings for the Lady Buffs, Sarah Blair tops the leader boards in wins from the circle with a record of 8-3.
“I started playing softball when I was 6 years old,” Blair said. “A family friend was coaching his daughter’s team and they needed an extra player. My dad signed me up and had to drag me to my first practice, but after the first season, I was hooked!”
Blair also is a force at bat. With eight homeruns for the season, Blair leads the team alongside sophomore outfielder Kim LeComte. Blair has scored 19 runs off of 32 hits and holds the leading slugging percentage of .759.
“I brought both pitching and hitting to the team, and I feel very confident in both aspects of the game,” Blair said. “But, the team’s best asset is our depth and ability to put any 9 players on the field and win.”
Blair spent her freshman year playing softball for Kansas University. While at KU, Blair tallied a 2-3 record with a 3.71 ERA over 34.0 innings pitched. Blair started two games in her 14 appearances. She allowed 47 hits and 18 earned runs, while striking out 19 batters and walking 13.
“I was at KU my freshman year, and it was just not the place for me,” Blair said. “I had played with Meghan Brown, Meghan Slattery and Kasey Henderson for years before college,
and they pushed me to come here. Once I looked into WT and the softball program, it looked like a place I could be really happy. I took a visit here over Thanksgiving and signed to play before I got on the plane to go home.”
In high school, Blair lettered all four years at James E. Taylor HS. She was awarded two-time all-area and all-district first team. Blair was selected to the TCGA Texas All-Star Team and was named Most Valuable Player by her teammates twice. Blair was selected as the Houston area Player of the Year as a senior and holds the single-season school homerun record, with eight in 2008.
“I am incredibly hard on myself, and have goals that reflect that,” Blair said. “This year I want to be named to an All-American Team, but the ultimate goal is for the team to win a national championship. When the team plays their best, I know we can compete with anyone. My expectations are just that: to play better and beat every team we come up against. If we accomplish that, we’ll reach our team goal and have a ring on our fingers at the end of the season.”
Blair is a business major at WT. She is the daughter of Dorsey and Laura Blair and has a sister, Jeannie.