Troy University Athletics
11/1/2026 4:38:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – Troy softball first-year Mariah Harrison wasn't initially on the radar of Trojans head coach Eric Newell, but what he heard from Central-Phenix City High School coach Mitchell Holt piqued his interest.
"He's like, 'I'm telling you, I've got this great athlete,'" Newell recalls. "And I'm like, 'Can you get her to a camp?' At the time, she wasn't playing a lot of travel ball, and travel ball is really important to us in softball.
"He's like, 'I'm telling you, she hardly has time for travel ball — this kid is an incredible athlete.'"
Harrison wasn't only a standout senior center fielder for the Red Devils last season, but also a star quarterback for the high school's nationally ranked flag football team.
Newell invited her to a softball camp on the Troy campus, and it didn't take long for the Trojans' mentor to understand why Holt, who coaches softball and flag football at Central-Phenix City, was touting his prep player.
"She came to our camp and had the strongest arm, ran the fastest … she's doing all of these metric things that were kind of off the charts," Newell said. "I was like, 'Yeah, we could probably take a chance on this one right here.'"
Newell followed it up with a visit to Phenix City.
"We went and watched her practice," Newell said. "Sometimes, you go and watch them play travel ball, and it kind of reaffirms what you already know. In her case, we couldn't go watch her play travel ball because she was knee-deep in flag football.
"She was doing all of these super athletic things. I was like, 'Yeah, she's got the ceiling to be able to play at this level.'"
Becoming a Two-Sport Star
Growing up in Russell County, Harrison played baseball as a youth.
"Softball wasn't even a thing," Harrison said of the local recreation leagues. "I only played baseball … there was no softball. I started when I was 3 years old, because my mom and dad said I had a lot of energy. I played baseball with the boys."
Eventually, Harrison became interested in trying softball at the recreation and travel ball levels.
"When I started to get older and started realizing girls aren't normally as strong as boys when they get older, I played one fall ball (recreation softball) season with Phenix City," Harrison said. "One of the girls on the team had a dad who kind of invited us to play for his travel ball team. I was 10 or 11 years old, so I started playing that."
Once Harrison reached the high school level, her sights were clearly set on softball before she was encouraged to give flag football a look.
"I thought I was only going to play softball at Central, and then they were like, 'You should try out for the flag football team,' so I started then," Harrison said. "I knew there was going to be a lot of running, so I just thought it would be good for the conditioning aspect for softball.
"But then once I started playing and being able to run and juke all over the field was very fun."
For the first couple of flag football seasons, Harrison played receiver on a Central-Phenix City team that quickly became one of the best programs in the state.
"Our first year, we were so devastated because we were in the (Class 6A-7A state) semifinals and we lost against Auburn," Harrison said of her freshman season. "It still stings to this day."
After two years as a receiver, Harrison began playing some quarterback during her junior season and was the full-time starting QB as a senior. In her final season, Harrison threw for 3,941 yards with 80 touchdowns and ran for 18 scores.
The Red Devils won three straight state titles while Harrison was on the team and were named national champions by USA Today Sports her final two seasons.
Even though Harrison was playing flag football during the fall, she still took time to work on her softball skills in preparation for the spring season ahead.
"Sometimes during the weekend, I would go out and hit off the tee," Harrison said. "Being a quarterback and throwing the football also helped my arm for softball. And then flag in the fall was kind of the conditioning, and that transfers over to softball and really helps."
Making a Decision
While Harrison could have likely earned college scholarship offers for flag football, it was softball that continued to be her primary choice of sports.
"I knew that I would have to choose," Harrison said. "I loved to play flag football, but my first love is softball, and I just wanted to play that."
Newell believed from the beginning that Harrison would be a great fit for the Troy softball program.
"I think she's very family-focused," Newell said. "I kind of recruit the family as well, and you could tell it's a tight-knit family.
"Troy kind of resonates with families like that, and I hope my softball program and the culture we've created here resonates with families as well."
It didn't take long for Harrison to feel she belonged at Troy.
"When I came to visit, I just really liked Coach Newell and how he carries himself — his values and what he said he was looking for in the team," Harrison said. "It's a small town, and I like small towns. And the girls seemed really nice.
"The coaching is actually kind of like my high school coaching, so that was really nice. I've heard some horror stories about college, and I really love it here and how they push us, but they still make you love the sport."
Adapting to College Softball
During her softball career at Central-Phenix City, Harrison had a .358 batting average and a .969 fielding percentage. She also stole 127 bases during that time.
Coming to Troy this fall, Harrison knew there would be a learning curve, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.
"The time management part of it, I was really tested," Harrison said. "But going to the required study hall really helps, and now I'm getting used to being in control of my study time."
Newell has been impressed with how quickly she's adapted to the college level.
"Any time there is a freshman, I do think there is a transition period," Newell said. "If there's ever been a time where it's been fairly seamless, it's been Mariah from day one, especially defensively. She's been what I would call special.
"It's not like every at-bat she gets a hit or anything like that, but I think there is a bit of transition from high school to college, getting used to a more consistent high level of pitching. She's transitioned really well.
"I almost don't even think of her as a freshman anymore. She's fit in well. You kind of garner respect when you can make plays the others can't make."
Newell believes the sky's the limit for the newcomer, who has shined during fall exhibition games.
"She's kind of gained instant credibility not only with her coaches, but with her teammates because of her gameplay," Newell said.
"It's been a great fit, knock on wood. I can see her having an incredible career here at Troy and being somebody people will really remember as a great player at Troy."
"He's like, 'I'm telling you, I've got this great athlete,'" Newell recalls. "And I'm like, 'Can you get her to a camp?' At the time, she wasn't playing a lot of travel ball, and travel ball is really important to us in softball.
"He's like, 'I'm telling you, she hardly has time for travel ball — this kid is an incredible athlete.'"
Harrison wasn't only a standout senior center fielder for the Red Devils last season, but also a star quarterback for the high school's nationally ranked flag football team.
Newell invited her to a softball camp on the Troy campus, and it didn't take long for the Trojans' mentor to understand why Holt, who coaches softball and flag football at Central-Phenix City, was touting his prep player.
"She came to our camp and had the strongest arm, ran the fastest … she's doing all of these metric things that were kind of off the charts," Newell said. "I was like, 'Yeah, we could probably take a chance on this one right here.'"
Newell followed it up with a visit to Phenix City.
"We went and watched her practice," Newell said. "Sometimes, you go and watch them play travel ball, and it kind of reaffirms what you already know. In her case, we couldn't go watch her play travel ball because she was knee-deep in flag football.
"She was doing all of these super athletic things. I was like, 'Yeah, she's got the ceiling to be able to play at this level.'"
Becoming a Two-Sport Star
Growing up in Russell County, Harrison played baseball as a youth.
"Softball wasn't even a thing," Harrison said of the local recreation leagues. "I only played baseball … there was no softball. I started when I was 3 years old, because my mom and dad said I had a lot of energy. I played baseball with the boys."
Eventually, Harrison became interested in trying softball at the recreation and travel ball levels.
"When I started to get older and started realizing girls aren't normally as strong as boys when they get older, I played one fall ball (recreation softball) season with Phenix City," Harrison said. "One of the girls on the team had a dad who kind of invited us to play for his travel ball team. I was 10 or 11 years old, so I started playing that."
Once Harrison reached the high school level, her sights were clearly set on softball before she was encouraged to give flag football a look.
"I thought I was only going to play softball at Central, and then they were like, 'You should try out for the flag football team,' so I started then," Harrison said. "I knew there was going to be a lot of running, so I just thought it would be good for the conditioning aspect for softball.
"But then once I started playing and being able to run and juke all over the field was very fun."
For the first couple of flag football seasons, Harrison played receiver on a Central-Phenix City team that quickly became one of the best programs in the state.
"Our first year, we were so devastated because we were in the (Class 6A-7A state) semifinals and we lost against Auburn," Harrison said of her freshman season. "It still stings to this day."
After two years as a receiver, Harrison began playing some quarterback during her junior season and was the full-time starting QB as a senior. In her final season, Harrison threw for 3,941 yards with 80 touchdowns and ran for 18 scores.
The Red Devils won three straight state titles while Harrison was on the team and were named national champions by USA Today Sports her final two seasons.
Even though Harrison was playing flag football during the fall, she still took time to work on her softball skills in preparation for the spring season ahead.
"Sometimes during the weekend, I would go out and hit off the tee," Harrison said. "Being a quarterback and throwing the football also helped my arm for softball. And then flag in the fall was kind of the conditioning, and that transfers over to softball and really helps."
Making a Decision
While Harrison could have likely earned college scholarship offers for flag football, it was softball that continued to be her primary choice of sports.
"I knew that I would have to choose," Harrison said. "I loved to play flag football, but my first love is softball, and I just wanted to play that."
Newell believed from the beginning that Harrison would be a great fit for the Troy softball program.
"I think she's very family-focused," Newell said. "I kind of recruit the family as well, and you could tell it's a tight-knit family.
"Troy kind of resonates with families like that, and I hope my softball program and the culture we've created here resonates with families as well."
It didn't take long for Harrison to feel she belonged at Troy.
"When I came to visit, I just really liked Coach Newell and how he carries himself — his values and what he said he was looking for in the team," Harrison said. "It's a small town, and I like small towns. And the girls seemed really nice.
"The coaching is actually kind of like my high school coaching, so that was really nice. I've heard some horror stories about college, and I really love it here and how they push us, but they still make you love the sport."
Adapting to College Softball
During her softball career at Central-Phenix City, Harrison had a .358 batting average and a .969 fielding percentage. She also stole 127 bases during that time.
Coming to Troy this fall, Harrison knew there would be a learning curve, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.
"The time management part of it, I was really tested," Harrison said. "But going to the required study hall really helps, and now I'm getting used to being in control of my study time."
Newell has been impressed with how quickly she's adapted to the college level.
"Any time there is a freshman, I do think there is a transition period," Newell said. "If there's ever been a time where it's been fairly seamless, it's been Mariah from day one, especially defensively. She's been what I would call special.
"It's not like every at-bat she gets a hit or anything like that, but I think there is a bit of transition from high school to college, getting used to a more consistent high level of pitching. She's transitioned really well.
"I almost don't even think of her as a freshman anymore. She's fit in well. You kind of garner respect when you can make plays the others can't make."
Newell believes the sky's the limit for the newcomer, who has shined during fall exhibition games.
"She's kind of gained instant credibility not only with her coaches, but with her teammates because of her gameplay," Newell said.
"It's been a great fit, knock on wood. I can see her having an incredible career here at Troy and being somebody people will really remember as a great player at Troy."
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