Southmoore – Karli Petty – Female Academic Athlete of the Month sponsored by Republic Bank & Trust

Written by John Tranchina

Maintaining high grades and excelling academically is important to Karli Petty, and although it can be difficult keeping up with schoolwork and playing a key role on the Class 6A defending state champion fast-pitch softball team, the Southmoore junior shortstop manages to pull it off just fine.

“It is tough to keep up with homework and sports at the same time, especially since I try to take upper level classes, as many as I can,” admitted Petty, who carries a GPA of 4.31 and is also in the National Honor Society.  “I have a lot of homework but I try to get it all done.”

Petty also plays basketball in the winter and slow-pitch softball in the spring.

“[Doing well in school] is important and doing other sports and activities helps me meet new people and make new friends, so it’s kind of a win-win,” she said.

On the field, Petty is a fast, smart player who has started for the Sabercats since Day 1 of her freshman year and usually bats lead-off.  So far, through the season’s first 12 games, Southmoore started off 5-7, as Petty recorded a stellar .645 batting average, with a .720 on-base percentage, with one home run, 11 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

“She is a great player, but not just her ability on the field, the way she carries herself with her teammates, both in the locker room, on the field and in the hallways, she’s the best teammate you could ever ask for,” said Southmoore coach Jason Lingo.  “She’s a really smart kid, in the top six percent of her class of 500.

“And she’s a hard worker, no matter what she does. She works really hard at being the best in every situation that she’s in, whether it be in the classroom, in the community or on the field.”