Britton Rogers, a 5-foot-9 2020 pitcher from Orlando, Florida and member of the Firecrackers-Swell club team in Georgia, had an eventful night Tuesday.

A day after being offered by the Univ. of Georgia softball coaching staff, she called Head Coach Lu Harris-Champer and staff and committed to the Bulldogs.



"The decision was pretty easy," Britton told FloSoftball on the phone just minutes after talking to the coaches Thursday. "Georgia was my top choice and I just knew it was the place for me. I love the coaches and they how they are always competitive and I like that. I also used to live in Georgia until I was 10 and grew up a fan."

A dominating pitcher who throws an off-speed drop, screwball, change and rise ball -- "those are my four go-to pitches she says" -- Britton has big shoes to follow in her own family.

Her mother, Courtney Blade Rogers, played for Harris-Champer at Southern Mississippi in 1999 and earned All-American honors as a junior setting an NCAA season record with 497 strikeouts and NCAA-best 43 wins.

As a senior, Britton's mother was even more spectacular going 52-7 and earning the USA Pitcher of the Year and the 2000 Honda Sports Award as the top softball player. Her wins total set the Division I single season mark and her 663 K's would shatter her own record. She would go on to lead Southern Mississippi to a 3rd place finish at the College World Series.

So does Courtney see herself in her fast-rising daughter?

"That's hard to answer," says Courtney, "I will say that this child has a much more competitive nature than I had at that age. Britton's will and fight to compete is amazing and it's in everything. Just playing outside with her brother, Barrett, who's 12-years-old, she has to win. She takes it to a whole other level."

Rogers had visits planned with LSU, Arkansas and Baylor coming up but it was Georgia that won her over.

Originally from Gainesville, Georgia, about an hour from Athens and the Georgia campus, her family has moved to Texas, South Florida and South Carolina since she was 10 and now she'll play for Kyle Sewell's Firecrackers team about six to seven hours away from Orlando.

"Coach Sewell had a killer 8U team so we've always known about them," Rogers explains as to why she and five other players from Florida commute to play for the Georgia-based Firecrackers. "The opportunity to play with Coach Kyle, who's a great coach and recruiter, it was a good opportunity for all of us to play at a high level and try and compete for a national championship."

One thing that makes it easier is the players and parents will drive up together to practice, but the passion to improve is typical of Roger's personality according to her mother who explains that her daughter didn't just walk out onto the softball fields and find immediate success in the circle.

"Britton started late," Courtney begins, "and has only pitched three years and at first she was terrible! She rarely pitched at 10U and, more or less, started in the spring of her first year of 12U, but the good news about Britton is she knows how to compete after she fails. We were living in Houston at the time and the coaches there remember that she had to literally fight for everything. We called and told them about her committing to Georgia and they said she's deserving of everything she had to battle for."

The All-World mother has also been there as a coach for her daughter and admits there were days when it wasn't easy.

"I have been her primary and only pitching coach," Courtney continues, "and it has been a struggle sometimes. There were days where I sat on the bucket and said, 'Oh man,' and then days when I thought, 'This kid is something special.'"

But all the hard work paid off for Britton who says she wants to be a heart surgeon and study Biology as an undergrad at Georgia.

"When I got done with pitching lessons last night and was shutting down the building, Britton called me and I screamed so loud people down the street probably heard me! I'm excited she will get to continue her softball career with Coaches Harris-Champer, (Rachele) Fico and (Tony) Baldwin--we feel they will help her be a better person as well as a better player." Courtney admitted.

"Barrett put it best," Courtney concluded. "He's a big supporter of Britton and said after she committed, 'OK, let's go get me some UGA clothes!'"