The orange and black of Pikeville College.
Vinson, a graduated senior all-state player for the Logan Lady Cats, signed a national letter of intent Thursday afternoon to play collegiate softball with the Pikeville, Ky.-based NAIA school.
Vinson started at first base for the Lady Cats the last three years and helped lead Logan to the Class AAA state tourney this season. As a freshman back in 2006, Vinson was a member of Logan’s Class AA state championship team.
Pikeville College coach Robert Staggs, who was also at Thursday’s signing, assured Vinson that the Lady Bears’ shade of orange is not like Logan rival Chapmanville’s more Halloween orange.
“It’s more like a Tennessee orange,” Staggs joked.
Vinson, who has played summer ball with the Chapmanville Chill and has friends down the road in TigerTown, said, however, that it will take some getting used to.
“It’s going to take some getting used to,” Vinson joked, when asked about donning the Orange and Black. “But I think that I can get used to it real quick.”
Vinson, the daughter of Kim and J.D. Vinson, said she liked what she saw of Pikeville College.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I went over and visited their campus and I met the assistant coach and she gave me the head coach’s e-mail address and phone number, so I e-mailed him and we kept in touch.”
Staggs said he was tipped off about Vinson by Joe Kinzer, a radio reporter and host at Williamson station WXCC 96.5 FM.
“I get phone calls and e-mails all the time and I got some stuff on Hannah. I talked to Joe Kinzer during our regional softball tournament and he told me that I’d better get over here and sign her,” Staggs said.
Staggs said he is aware of the softball talent in Logan County. All three county teams went to the state tournament this season.
“There’s definitely a lot of talent over here,” he said. “We’d like to get over here more in this area. They just named me as the athletics director and with softball I didn’t get a chance to go out and see a lot of kids play. Next year, when I am settled in I can go more and see some kids.”
The last Logan High School graduate to play with the Pikeville College women’s softball team was Michelle Jones, who was an all-conference center fielder and leadoff batter for the Lady Bears from 1996-99. Jones had a standout career with Pikeville and was eventually voted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Former Chapmanville High School player Katie Parsley just finished up her four year stint with the Pikeville College women’s softball team this spring. Earlier in the decade, Chapmanville’s Sharelle Adkins played one year with the Lady Bears.
“I was not the coach when Michelle Jones was there but she was a heck of a player. She could play,” Staggs said. “Hannah’s got some big shoes to fill.”
Vinson said she enjoyed playing softball at Logan High School.
“I think I learned a lot in my four years of high school,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and say, ‘It’s just a game,’ and just enjoy playing.”
Logan coach Randy Robinette said Vinson will do just fine at Pikeville College – both on the field and in the classroom.
“It’s a very good opportunity. Hannah has done a fine job at Logan High at first base,” Robinette said. “She’s well deserving of a chance to play in college. She’ll do fine I’m sure. She’s an all-around player. She hits and plays defense. She’s a great student and this is just a wonderful chance. I think that it says a lot about our program. She’s just one of many more to come.”
Robinette said Vinson will be tough to replace.
“She’s done a good job at first base,” Robinette said. “We’ll have to find someone to replace her. She’ll be missed. She’s done a great job for us. She’s been a credit to the program. She’s the kind of kid that you want to have and work with. That’s the purpose of the program – to get kids an education.”
Pikeville College has an enrollment of around 1,000 and is an independent institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The school was founded by Presbyterians in 1889.
Pikeville plays in the Mid-South Conference, which has nine full-time members in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee and Virginia.
Also on Thursday, the same day as Vinson’s signing, The Mid-South Conference announced the addition of its 10th full member following a unanimous vote for the conference presidents. Shawnee State University, located in Portsmouth, Ohio, is scheduled to join the MSC beginning with the 2010-11 season.
Shawnee State is the fourth full member to join the conference in the last two years.
St. Catharine College (Ky.) just completed its first full season in the conference and the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) will make its debut beginning this fall.
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise – which is currently a member of the MSC as a football-only school — will join Shawnee State in 2010 to take the conference full members to double digits.
Campbellsville University, University of the Cumberlands, Georgetown College, Lindsey Wilson College, Pikeville College and West Virginia Tech make up the remaining members of the conference.
The Mid-South Conference – including institutions that participate in only football in the conference – has 17 member institutions in seven states.
“The Mid-South is a very tough conference in all sports,” Staggs said.
Staggs said Pikeville is hoping to improve on last year’s 15-25 record.
“We lost a lot of one-run games and that will drive you crazy,” he said. “We schedule 50 to 60 games and all of our games are doubleheaders.”
Staggs said Vinson will have every opportunity to compete for playing time at first base.
“First base was a spot that we were looking for,” he said. “We have about seven or eight freshmen coming in, including one very good pitcher and some catchers and outfielders. I like this freshmen class. Hannah will have every opportunity to play.”
Vinson said she wants to major in criminal justice at Pikeville.
“I want to then go on to law school,” she said.
Vinson said her summer ball coach, Wes Bias, is sick and hopes he gets better.
“I have a travel ball coach, Wes Bias, and he is in the hospital and he’s real sick. I just want to say that I hope that he feels better and that we’re praying for him and his family,” she said. “I play with the Chill and I love those girls.”
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