BEING NATIONALLY RANKED IS SOMETHING SOPHIA SIMPSON WORKED FOR.

It was her goal to be amongst the best softball prospects in the nation when it is all said and done. Well, mission accomplished. "It's overwhelming, it scares me because like, wow I'm actually up there," Simpson, who is the No. 9-ranked prospect by Softball America, said. "But it's inspiring at the same time because these younger girls are watching me and wanting to be me."

Simpson has worked her way up. The senior has moved up from being on the JV team her freshman season at Barbers Hill to now being the ace in the circle for the Eagles. It was after her sophomore season at the 16U PGH Premier Nationals that she found her groove. She led her club team, the Texas Bombers, to the title game. In 32 innings of that tournament, she posted a 0.18 ERA.

"It was overwhelming. We got second place but I felt deep down that we should have won. That inspired me to get better and work harder," Simpson said. "Try to achieve higher expectations." She has achieved those higher expectations, with the culmination of her hard work coming to fruition when she signed with the Texas Longhorns. "It was nerve-racking. I was fearful, excited and all the emotions were there," Simpson said about signing with Texas. "Tears and laughter and all of that."

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