Paris, Tennessee, is home to about 10,000 people, a replica Eiffel Tower, the world’s largest fish fry and softball star Rebecca Osbron.
Osbron, who goes by Gracie, is a junior and the starting shortstop for the Henry County High School softball team. USA Softball announced Osbron as part of the second round of Junior Women’s National Team selection camp invitees on Nov. 9, 2016.
“We really didn’t think anything about it after we saw the initial list,” Osbron’s mother Shannon said. “I hoped that she would get an invitation but she is only a 2000 so she would be one of the youngest.”
It was Shannon who told her daughter the news via email.
“My mom woke up in the middle of the night and she got the email and forwarded it to me then I woke up the next morning and read it,” Osbron said. “I ran upstairs and told them I got the email. I haven’t told too many people but my mom posted it on Facebook.”
The Tennessee-commit attended a camp last summer in Georgia that gave coaches the opportunity to take a look at her while behind the plate. She will be competing for a catcher’s spot at the tryout.
At HCHS, Osbron plays for her father, Jamie, who took the coaching job her freshman year. He said they discussed it beforehand but it has really worked out for the both of them, especially now when she wants to get in some extra work.
“I’ve had the most fun playing softball when I play high school ball,” she said. “I like playing for my dad, it’s a different experience and not many people get to do that.”
Through her first two seasons, she’s hit .526 in 264 plate appearances with 15 homeruns and 84 runs batted in. The number that stands out the most is nine strikeouts. Her defense is solid too with a .894 fielding percentage.
“She’s been a really good high school player and already holds about five or six records,” Jamie said. “I know I’m her dad and I’m bragging on her but she is a tremendous player. Her knowledge of the game, her athleticism and hard-nosed effort; she absolutely hates to lose.”
With the selection camp only a month away, Osbron doesn’t have time to be nervous. She knows she is young but believes in herself that she can hang with the older girls.
“I’m extremely proud, nervous for sure but I’m confident in myself,” she said. “I know that I belong out there and someone else recognized that. That’s not just people from around here (Paris); it’s the big guys that saw my talent. I’m extremely excited for sure.”
