Carthage High School senior Landry Cochran signed a letter of intent on Thursday to play softball at Drury University.
“I feel very fortunate I was able to have the opportunity to perform in front of the Drury coaches, as it was one of my top schools,” Cochran told SoMo Sports. “I’m so excited to be a part of their program. To represent Drury and their softball team these next four years is a dream come true.”
An outfielder, Cochran earned second-team all-Central Ozark Conference honors after batting .472 as a senior.
Playing at the next level was a longtime goal, Cochran said.
“For as long as I can remember, my goal has been to play softball at the collegiate level,” said Cochran, who recorded 58 hits and scored 41 runs in 35 games this fall. “Now that it’s finally coming true, it feels surreal. I was blessed to have many opportunities to prove my talent and show the hard work that’s gone into the game these past 12 years. I played with many talented athletes and had coaches who challenged me, making me the player I am today. And I’m thankful for each of them.”
Cochran, who plans to major in elementary education, said Drury was her choice for several reasons.
“I first met Coach (Jerry) Breaux while attending a camp my junior year,” Cochran explained. “I appreciated the feedback he gave me at the camp and Drury was quickly added to the list of schools I was interested in. After meeting with all the coaches and touring the campus, I knew it was a place I wanted to be a part of. The softball program is very strong and they are extremely competitive in their conference (Great Lakes Valley Conference). The coaches have been phenomenal. They’re committed to the program and show they truly care for their players as athletes and students. While touring campus, every person I came in contact with was friendly and treated me like they really cared. The campus is beautiful and the distance from home was perfect for me.”
A leadoff batter, Cochran earned all-conference and all-district recognition four times during her prep career. She also set school records for career hits and hits in a season.
Cochran wasn’t the only Tiger to sign to play college softball, as Ashlynn Jackson has signed to play at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas.
A pitcher, Jackson earned honorable mention all-conference honors this fall.
