GREENSBORO, N.C. — For some student-athletes, it takes a little time to get his or her feet wet when transitioning from the high school to collegiate level.
Nevertheless, some individuals take things in stride and are able to get fairly acquainted with the next-level sports life.
Former Newton-Conover High School dual-sport athlete Grace Loftin is a person who found her bearings quickly as she settled into her new life as a Division 1 college softball athlete in spring 2022.
Loftin, a 2021 graduate of Newton-Conover, began her newfound journey as a member of a talented UNC Greensboro program led by head coach Janelle Breneman.
Breneman has been with the program for the last 10 seasons, and has established herself as the program’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 323-195.
Prior to Loftin’s arrival, the Spartans posted a 34-17 overall record and a 14-4 Southern Conference (SoCon) mark in 2021. It won the SoCon regular-season title, along with the conference tournament championship for only the second time in program history.
Already an established team in recent years, Loftin came onto campus in 2022 aiming to add to the Spartans’ legacy while establishing her own. She assisted her team as a newbie to a 39-18 overall mark and 16-2 conference record (best in program history).
No stranger to success, while at Newton-Conover she dominated en route to becoming a two-time all-conference athlete, as well as South Fork 2A Conference Offensive Player of the Year during her senior campaign during the 2021 season.
At-bat, Loftin hit a .677 which included 21 hits (four doubles, five triples and seven home runs).
She also accrued 21 total runs, along with 18 RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. At shortstop, her fielding percentage was a .956 in which she had 15 putouts and 28 assists in 45 total chances.
Loftin also achieved a 6-1 mark on the mound, obtaining six starts in 10 appearances and she even pitched five complete games. In 52 innings pitched, she garnered 94 strikeouts and 21 walks while allowing 25 hits and nine earned runs (1.21 ERA).
At this juncture, Loftin was competing as a utility player for the Lady Red Devils, participating as the team’s shortstop, as well as pitcher, in addition to some other roles.
Loftin said her biggest inspiration to take softball seriously growing up was her dad, Eric Loftin. Fortunately enough, he was afforded the opportunity to be her head coach with the Lady Red Devils for her final season.
“Whether I wanted to or not, he was pushing me everyday to be the best that I could be. He wanted to see me succeed and achieve my dreams,” she said. “I started playing softball at the age of 6 and never stopped. I fell in love with it instantly. I knew that if I worked hard, I would get to live my dream which was to play Division 1 softball for a good program, and I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity.”
Competition in athletics has always been in her blood as her mom Suzanne Loftin participated in soccer and was on the cheer team at Gardner-Webb University.
Loftin said the decision for the program to place her at utility aided in her transition to the collegiate game.
“I always said I didn’t care what position I was playing as long as I was playing,” she said. “Coming in [to UNC Greensboro], I was ready to play whatever role my team needed me to play. Wherever they need me in order to succeed, I’ll be there. I believe being a utility player [at Newton-Conover] kept me versatile, preparing me for the next level, as I was ready to play and adapt to wherever I was needed.”
Shifting from the infield to the outfield with the Spartans, Loftin took to the flow of the collegiate game almost immediately as she started and played in 56 of the program’s 57 match-ups.
She finished her debut season with 45 hits including 14 doubles (tied for 3rd place in the SoCon), 24 total runs and 11 home runs (ranked 5th place in the SoCon) on a .296 batting average, along with a stolen base and a .370 on-base percentage. She also collected 46 RBIs (3rd place in the SoCon).
Loftin shined against Rider University in an 8-1 victory on Feb. 19 as she connected on her first career grand slam dinger in the bottom of the fifth inning. She followed up by gaining her second grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning of a 6-2 win over Michigan State on March 10.
She also amassed a .981 fielding percentage as she earned 101 putouts and an assist, along with a double play, in 104 total chances. In a game against Campbell University on April 20, she finished with a season-best seven putouts.
Loftin said that she does not take any game played for granted, and that when she heard her name called in the Spartans’ lineup for the first time she was ready to go.
“I was confident in my game and knew I had what it takes to succeed, I just had to trust in it,” she said. “I always have some nerves going into a game, but it’s reassuring knowing that I have prepared for this, and my coaches and teammates have full confidence in me. To be able to showcase my skills right out of the gate was awesome, and I am beyond thankful for that opportunity.”
Loftin won several conference and national awards for her play in her freshman year including SoCon Player of the Month in March.
Loftin started in all 19 games played that month as the Spartans’ left fielder.
She finished 22-for-59 at the plate with a .373 batting average in that stretch leading her squad to a 13-6 record. She obtained 30 RBIs and scored 12 runs.
She knocked out eight homers and also added seven doubles. She averaged a .409 on-base percentage. With 35 putouts in the field, she also only corralled one error during that run in March.
Loftin had seven multi-RBI games, including four apiece in victories over UConn on March 4, and Michigan State, as well as six in a win over Mercer on March 27, in which she also hit a career-best three homers.
She also went on to match UNCG’s program record with three doubles in a contest against Elon on March 20.
Because of her strong play, she was crowned the SoCon Player of the Week on March 21 and the D1 Softball Freshman of the Week the subsequent day after hitting a .533 batting average and slugging 1.000 in contests against UNC Charlotte and Elon.
Loftin continued her trend of accolades by the end of her inaugural season as she was the first Spartan to be named a Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalist.
Additionally, she was selected to the 2022 SoCon All-Freshman Team and All-SoCon First Team for the outfield, Extra Inning Softball All-Freshman Team, along with being a NFCA All-Mideast Region second team selection.
“After winning Female Freshman of the Year at our school awards (Spiros), Coach [Bethaney] Wells came up to me and congratulated me then said, “You are not going to stop there, right?” I laughed and was like “No way.” My coaching staff consistently supported me throughout my first year,” said Loftin about how the coaching staff challenged her to stay poised. “They celebrated with me, but we also understood that there was still work to be done.
“The job was not and is still not finished. All of my teammates were super supportive and helpful.”
As far as teammates who Loftin looked to as mentors and good friends, she said that the two that came to mind were seniors Jordan Gontram and Makenna Matthijs.
“If I needed hitting advice or outfielding advice, I would go to them,” she said. “ I look up to both of them and am super thankful for the lasting impact that they each had on me.”
With her Extra Inning Softball selection, Loftin was deemed one of the 16 brightest freshman standouts in D1 softball. She was the lone representation from the SoCon as the list included nominees from 16 different schools and 12 conferences.
“It means so much to me. I never could’ve imagined having such success this season. I knew coming in that I had worked almost my whole life for this, and I was ready to go all out,” she said. “I also knew that first years usually aren’t the easiest, but I was ready to work hard and soak it all in. I learned so much this season that will help me for the rest of my softball career, and I am eager to keep learning.”
Competing in travel ball circuits like Hickory Post 48 of the North Carolina American Lady Legion Fastpitch organization also helped mold Loftin for the next level. She most recently played for Post 48 during summer 2022 on the back-end of the team’s season to get a little extra time in playing the sport she loves.
Furthermore, she also found success on the hardwood back at Newton-Conover en route to a 2020 North Carolina High School Athletic Association co-state championship. She averaged 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, three assists and 1.3 steals per game.
During her final campaign as a member of the Lady Red Devils varsity basketball team, Loftin averaged 15.6 points, as well as 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per contest.
She said the state title victory ranks up there with the way she felt obtaining the success she had with UNC Greensboro during her freshman run.
“That was one of the greatest moments of my life. I’ll never forget the work we put in and the feeling of celebrating with my team and our community,” she said. “This moment as well as my first season at UNC Greensboro both hold a special place in my heart. I’ll never forget either season as they have both been some of the most fun that I have ever had.”
Next up on Loftin’s list is preparing for her sophomore season in 2023.
“I would like to improve in all areas of my game, hitting, defense, and becoming an even better teammate,” she said. “Though I had some success, there is always more work to be done.
“I want to become the best player, teammate, and person that I can be. Also, I would love to see my team succeed and earn our program’s first regional win.”
