It Was Meant To Be
Nov 17, 2023 | Softball
Excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service are six core values that exemplify every Aggie. Since stepping on campus, Paige Lott has demonstrated these traits in every aspect of being the best teammate she can be to earn the recognition from her teammates as the 12th Man for the 2024 softball season.
THAT’S OUR 12TH MAN
The idea of having a 12th Man for softball always floated around in head coach Trisha Ford’s mind and was talked about among the coaching staff that it would, without a doubt, be Lott. As the staff agreed, the group wanted it to be a player-driven decision and not be determined by the coaching staff. Little did Coach Ford know that junior Emiley Kennedy was well ahead of her on the idea of making Lott the 12th Man.
“A week after my coaching staff met about the idea of having a 12th Man, Emiley [Kennedy] came in my office and said, ‘I want to talk to you about Paige and I personally vote her on being the 12th Man’,” Ford said. “I was like this is crazy, do you have a bug in my office, like what is going on here.”
With coach’s approval, Kennedy started a group chat with the team, excluding Lott, to bring up the idea of her being the 12th Man. As the team agreed, the plan for the reveal began to come together. At a team dinner in the fall, Kennedy and Shaylee Ackerman went to the front of the room to start talking about the 12th Man and representing the core values of an Aggie.
“They were talking about the 12th Man and what it means, so I thought they were just talking about traditions,” Lott said. “Then they started talking about a team vote and I was like wait a second, I didn’t vote on anything.”
It was in that moment the team revealed a No. 12 jersey with Lott on the back that Lott was able to connect the dots.
It means so much to me! Even though I haven’t been here for four years, I have always known what Texas A&M is and the traditions. It’s an honor to be representing the 12th Man and represent the core values of an Aggie. The fact that my teammates believe I have those characteristics means a lot.Paige Lott
MEANT TO BE IN AGGIELAND
Lott transferred to Texas A&M from Houston as a junior in January 2023. Despite receiving a large scholarship amount from the Cougars, the Dayton, Texas, native felt there was more to be accomplished during her collegiate career. She had always planned to attend Texas A&M for nursing school after her playing days were finished. Then the opportunity to transfer as a walk-on with the softball team and pursue her degree in nursing was a golden opportunity.
“I always wanted to stay close to home because I wanted my parents to be able to watch as many games as they could,” Lott said. “During my time at Houston, I felt I wasn’t growing as much as I could as a person and as a player. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and make the most out of the time that I had left. When I had the opportunity to come to Aggieland, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.”
Transferring is no easy task for any student-athlete, especially when making the move mid-school year and just a month before a new season was set to begin. Lott met with first-year head coach Trisha Ford and understood her role on the team as a walk-on. The outfielder pushed herself on the field every day, and naturally being a leader by example, she capitalized on moments of being the best teammate that she could be.
“She joined us last year in January and from the moment she stepped foot into our program, it was like she was meant to be here,” Ford said. “She is the most selfless player that I have ever coached. Paige is always happy to be here, always has something positive to say and can have those hard conversations. It’s crazy to think that we haven’t been together for a year, but she is somebody that I feel like has been with us forever. She’s a special human and you don’t come across a person like her very often.”
THE ULTIMATE TEAMMATE
Battling through the ups and downs of a softball season, Lott continued to selflessly serve in moments that she could best impact the team. Whether those moments were celebrating the highs of a home run or the lows of a bad outing, you can always expect her to be the first one there in support.
“Paige is our biggest cheerleader on the team,” Kennedy said. “She is the first one saying, ‘good job’ or ‘you got it next time’. She’s always there and you may not really notice it, but when you sit back and look, you’re like wow she does it every game, every time and that’s just who she is.”
As supportive as Lott is on the field, she is always there supporting her teammates off the field as well. She’s never hesitant to round the troops for team bonding moments, whether that’s community service or showcasing her cooking skills.
“I can always go to her if I ever need anything and she’s a good person to talk to about anything,” Kennedy said. “Paige is the one always initiating team activities. Last year she did a girl’s night on Valentine’s Day and invited everyone over and cooked dinner for us. She’s always pushing us to go volunteer and give back to the community too.”
The ultimate teammate isn’t always the one that smashes the most home runs or throws the most strikeouts, sometimes the ultimate teammate is a 5-3 mid-year transfer that can always be depended upon, on and off the field as a teammate and friend.
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