Kiski Area grad Moyer settles in to more prominent role with Fairmont State softball team
Share this post:
Courtney Moyer remembers the moment vividly.
She was sitting in the Fairmont State dugout, watching as her team took on Notre Dame College last season. The next thing she knew, Courtney Worcester, the Falcons’ standout senior shortstop, was coming off the field with an injury.
As if seeing one of her most talented teammates in pain wasn’t enough of a shock for the freshman, what came next was equally jarring.
“My coach (John Light) looks at me … and he says, ‘You’re going in,’ ” Moyer said. “And I remember I didn’t move for like 5 seconds. I was like, ‘Oh, crap! I’m going in!’ ”
That was Fairmont State’s 19th game of the season, and Moyer, a Kiski Area grad, had appeared in only five games before that. But if she had any anxiety about taking over for the lady she called “our best player at the moment,” Moyer didn’t show it.
In fact, she ended up on the All-Mountain East Conference second team at the end of the season along with Worcester, who returned for the MEC Tournament.
And even when Worcester returned, Moyer remained at shortstop while Worcester was moved to second base.
Moyer hit .324 with a homer, eight RBIs and 14 runs scored in her freshman season.
“She had to step into a crucial spot in a critical time, and she never skipped a beat,” said former Fairmont State teammate Andie Baughman in an email to the Trib. Baughman is serving as a grad assistant for MEC rival West Liberty. “She was meant to step into that spot at that time, and I couldn’t be happier to see her succeed.”
Heading into the 2022 season, Moyer didn’t need any reassurance. She was ready to take over as the Falcons’ starting shortstop.
Moyer, who bats leadoff, is hitting .338 with 19 runs, five RBIs and a .482 on-base percentage. Her OBP ranks 10th in the MEC.
Defensively, after a shaky start in the field — she committed three errors in the first four games — Moyer put together a run of 14 straight games without a miscue and has committed only two errors in the past 18 games (52 total chances).
“Last year, I went in because a girl got hurt,” she said. “This year, it’s like, that’s my position now. I wanted to prove it wasn’t just circumstances that I got it. I deserved it.”
Moyer said she still had plenty to learn despite her strong freshman season. She looked back at plate appearances where a hit could have changed the outcome and the errors that could have been avoided. She took those to heart and used them as fuel to be a more efficient player this season.
Last year, she said, she felt like she had to live up to Worcester’s standard. Now, she is stress-free and can go out and play uninhibited.
“It’s a whole different mentality this year,” she said.
She is hoping her newfound confidence can help Fairmont State compete for an MEC championship. The Falcons are 5-7 in the Mountain East North Division (9-13 overall) after sweeping Wheeling on Saturday then dropping both ends of a doubleheader against West Liberty on Sunday. Moyer had a double and scored three runs in the opener against Wheeling.
With plenty of softball left to play, Moyer is confident the Falcons can be in the mix.
“This is some of the most talent I have seen on any team I’ve have played on,” she said. “The team chemistry is insane. It’s a whole different culture than last year.
“We’re really playing for each other, which I think is really going to help us along.”