Lady Knight alum reflect on NCAA experiences
At any given time between May 16 – June 2, one could simply turn on either the Super Regionals or the Women's College World Series and spot a Graham County native on the field.
University of Tennessee freshman Zoie Shuler was right in the thick of the Lady Vols' ninth trip to Oklahoma City and the World Series; as was University of South Carolina senior Abigail Knight, for the Gamecocks' trip to the Super Regionals.
But flipping on ESPN and catching either one competing in a SEC jersey started here. Both worked their way through the ranks of Robbinsville Lady Knights softball – Knight graduated in 2019, while Shuler received her diploma in 2024 – and each recently sat down with The Graham Star to share their respective takes on playing under the national spotlight.
Abigail Knight
It has been a well-documented journey for Knight. Successes have been plentiful, but the biggest title of all eluded Knight throughout her career.
A four-time All-Conference and two-time Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year, Knight is still Robbinsville's all-time hit leader (188). She initially committed to Virginia Tech, but switched to Boston College after her offer was removed in the wake of a coaching shake-up. Knight overcame a labrum tear to become both the Eagles Most Outstanding Offensive Player and Most Valuable Player of the Year in 2023.
Her story continued at UNC-Charlotte, where the 49ers won the 2024 American Athletic Conference championship and qualified for the NCAA tournament in the process. Knight received the chance to finish her career in the SEC – a life-long dream – and followed head coach Ashley Chastain to the University of South Carolina for the 2025 campaign.
And what a year it was: the Gamecocks went 44-17 and were able to host UCLA in the Super Regionals from May 23-25. The Gamecocks were looking to reach the Women's College World Series for the first time since 1997.
South Carolina won the opener 9-2, but fell 5-4, 5-0 in the Best-of-3 series.
Just like that, Knight's softball career was over.
"My Mom always tells me that everything happens for a reason," Knight said. "I never would have thought that everything leading up to now would have led to the game to go (to the Women's College World Series). It was really hard to leave Charlotte last summer, but I would have to do it all the same way again.
"Nobody in the country – and even us at Carolina … if you had told us the first day at practice, 'This team is going to play in the game to go (and should have won it).' I mean, you're three outs away with a 3-run lead … in her (Chastain's) first year? With freshman and transfers coming in, to join a small group of girls that played last year? Such a strange dynamic. It's so rare to see a brand-new team come together and do what we did."
Knight doubled home Brooke Blankenship and Ella Chancey in the fifth inning of the Gamecocks' victory over the Bruins; her passion for the sport was encapsulated by a photo of her flexing for teammates in the dugouts seconds after safely reaching the bag.
"You don't start talking about the tournament when you get to it; we were talking about the tournament from day one," said Knight. "It felt very, 'heads-down, eyes-forward' going into regionals. We felt so prepared.
"Even though you host the tournament, the NCAA is watching over things and try to make it feel like a neutral site. Throughout the weekend, I think our fans showed up and showed out. It didn't feel neutral at all. It was the greatest environment I have ever played in."
Knight's swan song featured a .301 average at the plate, with two home runs, 39 RBI, 11 doubles and four stolen bases. She was a .290 career hitter in the NCAA, recording eight HR, 98 RBIs, 42 doubles, three triples and swiping 20 bases.
It is evident when talking to Knight that she has absorbed the lesson all coaches hope to instill in their athletes: how to be a successful person. Leaving the competitive part of sports behind will be a huge adjustment, but Knight already has the wheels in motion for a future.
"It comes in waves, because that's what grief does," Knight said. "It's really a grieving process. The way it happened, I just can't figure out. I don't know that there's an answer to be found.
"Every summer until now, I'm still practicing and training. There's still things to be done. Now, nobody is checking in. Everyone has moved on. It's a weird feeling, but that's life."
Knight expressed gratitude to the overwhelming support she received from everyone rooting her on.
"It was pretty insane," said Knight. "There were some moments where it felt normal, then others where I would get messages from people I hadn't talked to in years and they're posting pictures of me at-bat. It hits you like, 'I'm on TV, doing the same thing I used to watch others do when I was 11 years old and they felt like gods to me.' Now, some little girls are watching me and get to say, 'She went to my high school.'
"That's the core of why I do what I do."
Zoie Shuler
The narrative is just beginning for Zoie Shuler – the collegiate one, at least.
Shuler entered Robbinsville High School as a freshman in 2021 and got to work re-writing the history books as quickly as possible. The end result was 11 individual state championships in both indoor and outdoor track & field between her sophomore and senior years – all compiled while juggling her duties as Robbinsville's go-to shortstop and offensive weapon.
She will forever remain in the conversation of Lady Knights softball greats, as she amassed three separate distinctions as Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year; a career average of .568; 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).
Scouts from Tennessee and Alabama were right to be in pursuit of her talents; she decided to continue her softball career just 71 miles from home.
Like Knight, Shuler has already hurdled over the injury bug: she is now healed, but the trajectory of her freshman season was thrown off-course after tearing the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in her throwing hand in January. No matter; the Lady Vols wisely utilized Shuler's reputable speed and put her to work as a threat on the base path.
After all, the records she now holds in stolen bases and runs scored were anything but a fluke.
Shuler stole four bases and crossed the plate 14 times for Tennessee this season. She made a pinch-run appearance for the Vols during June 1's 5-4 win over UCLA in the Women's College World Series.
"Once the coach called my number, I had to tell myself, 'You've prepared for this. Make good reads. Be confident,'" said Shuler. "I made it from first to third because I wasn't overthinking.
"I definitely had some nerves, but practice had prepared me for that moment."
She also made sure to embrace her time in Oklahoma City.
"Being at the World Series was a dream come true," Shuler said. "(Robbinsville head coach) Billy (Knight) took us my junior year and we sat in the stands. It was cool to reflect on that and realize that two years later, here I am actually playing. It was an emotional moment.
"There's nothing like being in Oklahoma; Our first game against Oklahoma and if there were 10,000 people there, 9,900 were Oklahoma fans. It was the loudest environment you can think of in college softball, which is awesome.
Tennessee was 47-17 overall in 2025. The Vols also hosted a Super Regional and knocked off Miami (Ohio); Ohio State; and Nebraska at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville to punch a ticket to Devon Park – and the largest stage in NCAA.
The Sooners edged out a 4-3 victory May 29, but Tennessee fought back to trounce Florida 11-3 in five innings May 30 and picked up the 5-4 win over UCLA before a 2-0 loss to Texas on June 2 ended their run.
Shuler was also overwhelmed by the amount of supporters that greeted her when she picked up her phone after each game.
"I loved picking up my phone and seeing all the little girls that may not know me personally, but their parents are posting and saying they're my fans," Shuler said. "It warms my heart. I'm just a small-town girl; dreams can come true."
Tennessee is poised to make another strong run in 2026. North Buncombe alumna Karlyn Pickens is set to return, but a key piece of the puzzle will finally be able to debut: Shuler will be able swing a bat at the collegiate level.