JAYCIE PRINE
Latta High School
I AM BACK!!!
Those three words tell the story of Latta High School senior catcher Jaycie Prine and her many years of playing softball. Playing almost from the time she could walk, Jaycie started playing a little competitively even in coach-pitch and by age nine was totally immersed in highly competitive travel ball. She spent her first few years in Stratford before moving to Latta in the fifth grade. By her freshman season “Jae” was the starting catcher when the Panthers won the state fast pitch championship in 2020. A two-time all-district catcher, Jaycie was already getting inquiries from college coaches, something that began when she was in the seventh grade. But with her sophomore year came Covid as well as a life altering challenge.
“I was at a competitive team practice that summer before and during drills I felt my arm and fingers go numb after some throw downs,” said Jaycie as she started the story. “Folks just told me to play through it and it would get better but it continued to hurt all during my sophomore year, and I couldn’t do the things I was used to doing.”
Her mom Donna continued the story.
“After the season ended in May, Jaycie was diagnosed with a SLAP Tear of her right labrum (shoulder) that required surgery in June and was told she would be out for six months. After three months, she started throwing gently again but still experienced a lot of pain. In October more testing revealed even more extensive damage to the shoulder than first thought, requiring the need for a second surgery and forcing Jae to miss her entire junior year playing ball”
The setback was devastating for an athlete who was used to going a mile a minute to games, practices, all the while getting national collegiate recognition. Suddenly, the softball stopped and so did the phone calls and text messages.
“As a parent, watching how that affected her was so heart breaking,” said Donna.
The double whammy of not being able to play and not being recruited was difficult for Jaycie but she persevered.
“Softball was a big part of me and when I couldn’t do it anymore, I first thought it would break me,” she said emotionally. “I really had to lean on the Lord and my faith and understand that it was all part of a bigger plan.”
Being out of the action opened another door for Jaycie as she spent time on the bench next to coach Jeremy Bates learning the game from the coach’s perspective, even calling pitches during JV games.
Released to play shortly just as this fastpitch season started Jaycie know that some challenges remain.
“Coming back has taken some faith and hard work on my part ensuring everything is okay this second go-round and, honestly, I’m still working on that. Coach Bates is great at balancing my time behind the plate and utilizing me as the DP (designated player) when needed until later in the season as we get closer to the playoffs. I’ve got big goals for my team and myself. My mind keeps telling me I’ve got to go all out giving it everything I’ve got this last season because everything I’ve worked for is on the line, but I also know I have to have some self-discipline to get us there.”
No matter what her capacity, Bates is thankful to have her back contributing in every game.
“She’s a great leader vocally and by example for us. Her knowledge of the game is a big asset, said the Latta coach noting that this fall she leads the team with her batting average and doubles. “She sees the field just like a coach and with her 1.6 POP time our opponents rarely take a chance of trying to steal second base. ”
Latta is one of the teams considered to challenge for another state championship. No matter the outcome of the season, Jaycie Prine says she has learned to never take the game for granted and after the hard work on the comeback trail she is mentally and physically strong.
And for all those college coaches that may be wondering about her, Jaycie answers with confidence:
“I AM BACK”.
