Wherever she has played, junior Zoie Griffin has had a big impact on her team as not only a great pitcher but also a pretty fair hitter. And this fall, that success has paid off for Griffin in a commitment to play D-I softball. Zoie comes from an athletic family. Her dad was a college wrestler, and her mom was a softball player and coach. You might even say she was literally born into the game. “My mom was the softball coach at Berryhill when I was born and she played in high school and college so it was pretty easy for me to get started and I actually played baseball with the guys at first but that didn’t last very long,” Zoie chuckled. She spent her first two years of high school at Wagoner, where she recorded over 300 strikeouts each year and helped the Bulldogs go deep into the playoffs last year. Last spring she transferred to Tahlequah where she has helped the Tigers to a 27-4 record as the playoffs approach. “Zoie spent the summer with us playing in our summer league and the thing that really struck me was how composed she is in the circle and how she’s always complimentary of her teammates while willing to do the little things that make a team go. Though she’s a great pitcher, she also leads the team in RBI’s and batting average,” said Tiger coach Chris Ray. Zoie says she cherishes a couple of special moments so far in her high school career. “Last year I hit a walk-off grand slam against Verdigris to help win the district title. I also threw my first perfect game that year where I had 20 strikeouts.” Zoie is closing in on the 1000 career strikeout mark and, remember she’s just a junior. Earlier this fall, she made a verbal commitment to play college ball at Texas A&M. “I visited the campus several times and really got know the coaches and players and although I had several other offers, A&M has been there the last two or three years. I’m glad to get that decision out of the way and concentrate on getting us to state this year,” the pitching ace said.