But make it big is exactly what Ferguson, a Beavercreek junior, accomplished despite not being the prototypical 6-foot, fireballer. She’s as good as there is in the country, and she will play in the Big Ten at tradition-rich Michigan.
“I actually had a college coach tell me that I was too small and I needed to put on a lot of weight in order to play college,” she said. “It was a fuel to my fire.”
Ferguson began pitching as a 7-year-old, but didn’t fall in love with it until she pitched for the Ohio-based Lady Lasers, a U10 summer travel team. The Lasers played all over and finished second in a national tournament in Orlando. That’s when she started hearing people say she was one of the best pitchers in the country.
Extra Inning Softball rates Ferguson the No. 2 overall player in the country in the class of 2024. She is the No. 1 duo pitcher, which takes into account her ability to play other positions and hit. Ferguson isn’t the hardest thrower. Her speed sits in the low to mid 60-mph range, which is a few ticks below the elite fastballs of the high 60s.
“A big thing that gave her that edge when it came to the recruiting opportunities,. along with working hard, is that she has achieved some amazing spin with her ball,” Beavercreek coach Megan Rawlins said. “She’s got some crazy movement.”
As a younger pitcher Ferguson realized the need to become more than someone trying to throw it by hitters. She’s worked with pitching coaches and played high-level travel ball to get this opportunity at Michigan. Rawlins said college hitters are beginning to handle the high-velocity pitchers better, which means pitchers like Ferguson are becoming more sought after.
“Growing up I threw hard, but I wasn’t the hardest thrower,” Ferguson said. “I had to learn how to be a pitcher. I had to learn how to spin and spot and win without having a great speed. And once the speed got there, through hard work and lifting and just trying to be as strong as I can, it really helped me be even better.”
Last summer she was 28-0 with an 0.80 ERA for a Georgia-based team that won two big tournaments. When college coaches were permitted to start contacting 2024 recruits for the first time on Sept. 1, Ferguson began scheduling college visits. Her first visit was to Michigan on Sept. 13.
Michigan has never had a losing season since the program began 45 years ago. The Wolverines own 22 Big Ten titles, 10 league tournament titles, 13 Womens College World Series appearances and the 2005 national championship. Previously she traveled to Ann Arbor to watch Michigan play Ohio State for the league title. She noticed how much fun the Michigan players were having.
“I had other visits lined up, but my visit at Michigan couldn’t have gone any better,” she said. “So I committed on the visit in person.”
Ferguson’s career ERA for the Beavers is 0.95. This season the ERA sits at 1.18 and the Beavers are 8-5 with a an even mix of veterans and new regulars. Ferguson bats lead off and is hitting a career-high rate of .576 with three home runs, 14 RBIs and a league-leading 1.152 slugging percentage. Eleven of her 19 hits are for extra bases.
“If I go there and I show out hitting, I’ll be in the lineup, but I’m definitely going there to be a pitcher,” she said. “They want me to be able to contribute to their pitching staff a lot right when I get there. If I get to hit great, but what I love the most is definitely pitching.”
Ferguson recently spent a little bit of time away from her team because someone who never missed a game wasn’t there. Her grandmother, Pam Wheeler, died after a battle with cancer that began 14 years ago. The cancer went into remission but returned four years ago.
“She never stopped fighting, and she’s my biggest role model,” Ferguson said. “Despite the doctor saying, ‘Oh, you have a little bit more less to live,’ she kept saying, ‘No, I’m living longer.’ That gave me that fight to always believe in myself and not let what other people say affect me and tell me I can’t do it.”
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