Robbinsville softball alumnae discuss playing at next level
Of the 16 Smoky Mountain Conference titles that adorn the program's outfield scoreboard at Judy Nichols Memorial Field, Robbinsville has won the last seven in a row.
The Lady Knights' success over the years is a testament to the immense crop of talent that first chose the sport when they hit the ball off a tee and channeled their energies toward excelling at the sport thereafter.
The current string of divisional championships began in 2017 (the 2020 season was cancelled, due to the pandemic), when Abigail Knight was a high school sophomore. The following year, her younger sister Maggie joined the varsity ranks, as did Gabby Hooper; by Maggie and Hooper's senior campaign in 2021, Zoie Shuler was a Robbinsville freshman.
Today, all four play at the collegiate level – and that alone speaks volumes to the dynasty that is Robbinsville High School softball.
* Gabby Hooper (Senior, Brevard College)
Brevard – There has only been one home for Gabby Hooper when it comes to college softball: the Brevard College Tornadoes, a NCAA Division III program that competes in the USA South Athletic Conference.
A career .303 batter at Robbinsville, Hooper has also carried over her infield prowess to the Tornadoes. Senior Day for Hooper was Friday: a doubleheader with Raleigh's William Peace University.
"This sport has taught me so many things: how to be strong and resilient, plus how to face failure, get knocked down and get back up again," said Hooper. "It's hard to put this into words. It's a bittersweet feeling, knowing that 13 years of softball is coming to an end. I am lucky, in the way that I got an extra four.
"I am thankful for all that it has brought me and the memories that I will have forever. I'm ready for the next chapter, but I know I will miss this one."
Hooper will graduate with a degree in health science. She has also minored in both psychology and biology and after a gap year, will attend physician's assistant school to continue her journey into pediatrics.
"It wasn't always easy," Hooper said of her time as a Brevard softball player. "There were a lot of times things didn't go my way, or play out how I envisioned they would, but regardless I am very proud and happy to have been a Tornado these last four years.
"The people that I have met and the relationships that I have made will carry with me forever – and for that, I am eternally grateful."
* Abigail Knight (Senior, University of South Carolina)
Columbia, S.C. – It took four programs, a pandemic and an unsettling injury for Abigail Knight to reach the pinnacle of her softball aspirations.
A two-time Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year, Knight was also an All-Conference selection her entire time at Robbinsville. She was also named the 2019 Robbinsville Female Athlete of the Year and still holds the Lady Knights record for most career hits (188).
After making a verbal commit to Virginia Tech shortly her freshman year, Knight ultimately signed to Boston College when her offer to the former was dropped in the wake of a coaching change. She had just settled into her role as an Eagles freshman in 2020 when the pandemic interrupted the schedule.
The extra year of eligibility given to NCAA players turned into two for Knight, who tore her labrum during an offseason practice in October 2020. After recovering, Knight was finally able to take on a full college schedule her junior year (2022) – with a scant 21 games under her belt, no less.
She exited Boston College in 2023, after being named both the team's Most Outstanding Offensive Player and Most Valuable Player. Moving into the graduate world, Knight transferred to UNC-Charlotte, where the 49ers delivered her first taste of college-softball success: the American Athletic Conference championship.
Shortly after the 2024 season wrapped up, Charlotte head coach Ashley Chastain took the reins of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks softball program. Wanting to end things on her terms, Knight fulfilled a lifelong goal by transferring to USC for her college farewell.
"I don't think I ever saw this opportunity coming, after I decided to go to Charlotte after Boston College," Knight said. "After Coach Ashley got the job at USC over the summer, everything happened really fast and I didn't really know what to expect. I knew that South Carolina softball hadn't had the best reputation in previous years, but I also knew what the coaching staff was capable of. Even though they were taking over a program, the one thing I could be sure of was knowing how good the culture would be.
"My mom always tells me that everything happens for a reason. When COVID cut my freshman year short and my shoulder surgery took my sophomore year, I spent a lot of time being upset with how the start of my collegiate career was going. Looking back – without both of those things happening – I never would have had my fresh start at Charlotte, or the opportunity to play at South Carolina this year."
Knight started all 57 of UNC-Charlotte's games in 2024, batting .309, homering once and driving in 26 runs. As of Tuesday, USC was 35-11 (10-8 in SEC play); Knight's stats for the year include a .310 batting average, with two home runs and 28 RBIs. She also has nine doubles and two stolen bases.
"I think this team has already exceeded everyone's expectations, nationwide – including my own," said Knight. "My year at Charlotte – that eventually brought me to Columbia – has been the best years of my career and have truly shown me the in-color version of what college softball looked like in my dreams when I was 10 years old."
Knight will be graduating next month with a masters degree in coaching education. "While my end goal is to coach college softball at a really high level, I would also like to take some time within the next year to be on a more relaxed schedule and spend time doing things that I never got to do much growing up and throughout college – a real spring break, maybe? A weekend trip to visit my old roommates and friends?," Knight lightheartedly wondered.
"This has been the greatest adventure of my life, truly. I wouldn't have traded another lifestyle for the one that I am living right now."
* Maggie Knight (Junior, Montreat College)
Black Mountain – All the time the Knight's have spent becoming softball superstars has not came without a cost.
Maggie Knight graduated from Robbinsville with a .617 batting average (still the program's standard), 18 career home runs and 120 RBIs. Much like her sister, Maggie was a four-time All-Smoky Mountain Conference selection and was named the league's Player of the Year for her sophomore efforts in 2018.
After signing with Chattanooga (Tenn.) State Community College, she made the most of her stint as the Tigers' backstop in 2022: hitting .355, with 15 homers and 59 runs driven in. She played in 65 of Chattanooga State's 66 games that season, before a nagging injury finally caught up.
"I am about two years post-op from my hip injuries," Knight explained. "I had hip impingement syndrome, which caused me to have labral tears in both hips. The total recovery time was about a year, with lots of physical therapy.
"Being a catcher made my injuries worse and I was instructed by my doctors to never catch again."
Adapting to the situation without a hitch, Knight is now a first baseman – and at a new school, no less: Montreat College.
"Moving to Montreat from Chattanooga State has been a huge change for me," said Knight. "The biggest and most surprising challenge has been living in the dorms. I love living so close to all of my friends and teammates."
The camaraderie shows. Through 48 games, Knight is batting .371 for the Cavaliers, with 19 doubles, four home runs and 47 RBIs.
Montreat is 32-14 (20-8 in Appalachian Athletic Conference action) and wrapped up the regular season Monday with its highest win total in over two decades.
"We are in year two of a rebuild and we have set a lot of school records this year," Knight added. "It is a very rewarding feeling to be a part of a team that is making history."
Knight is pursuing a business degree, with a concentration on marketing.
She plans to join the real estate field after graduating.
* Zoie Shuler (Freshman, University of Tennessee)
Knoxville, Tenn. – While two former Robbinsville players are winding down their college softball careers – and another is rounding the proverbial third-base bag, heading for home – one is just on the other side of U.S. 129, adding another chapter to her softball legacy.
Zoie Shuler graduated from Robbinsville in 2024, after leaving a lasting mark on the Lady Knights' record books. In a span of just three years, she won a mind-boggling 11 individual state championships in both indoor and outdoor track & field, while juggling her duties as Robbinsville's go-to shortstop and offensive weapon.
The end result was three separate distinctions as Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year; a career average of .568; a reset of three program records (31 home runs, 117 stolen bases and 123 RBIs); and a new state record for runs scored in a single season, across all classifications (68).
Shuler ultimately decided to suit up for the Lady Vols, just 71 miles from where she grew up and plied her craft.
"The experience is definitely different than high school, but amazing," Shuler said. "Being on the softball team here is kind of like having a second job, but the work and effort are worth it."
Though her freshman season was altered after tearing the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in her throwing hand in January, there is still plenty of time for Shuler to be one of the first names that Tennessee softball fans think of when discussing the team's success.
"The recovery has been difficult," said Shuler. "I am just now getting to where I can throw and hit off a tee again.
"But, I will be back – better than ever."
Known for her speed, Shuler has still contributed to the Lady Vols' season by appearing in a pinch-runner role. She has crossed the plate 11 times in her role thus far, while also stealing three bases.
"Playing for Tennessee has definitely lived up to the hype, and has been everything I have hoped for in a college and a softball program," Shuler shared. "It is also so nice to be so close to home, to where my family can come watch me during every home series."
Shuler is pursing a degree in kinesiology, with plans to become an athletic trainer down the line.