Pike County senior Laken Maulden signed an academic scholarship to attend and play softball at Spring Hill College in Mobile on Friday.

“This has been a goal of mine every since I was younger,” Maulden said. “It really became a goal of mine last year.”

During her junior year at Pike County, Bulldogs head coach Fawn Sims approached Maulden and asked if she was interested in playing college softball. Her hopes were to one-day maybe play at the junior college level, but being able to play at Division 2 Spring Hill surpasses those goals. Spring Hill College is new to the Division 2 ranks. They currently sit a top of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 22-0 record in conference play.

“I fell in love with the campus,” Maulden said. “Hearing they were runners up last year and they have such a strong program, it’s exciting to be able to go to that type of program.”

Maulden has been part of a Bulldogs team that continued to improve under Sims. She was the only senior on the team this year, and has been playing on the team since seventh grade. Being able to bring that experience to the growing Spring Hill program is exciting, she said.

“Realizing that I have an opportunity to go to a school that’s transferring to Division 2 is really exciting,” Maulden said. “I am ready to see what the program has in store for me and what I can do for the program.”

Maulden spent the majority of her career with the Bulldogs playing catcher, but with two catchers already on the roster, the plan for Maulden is to spend most of her time at third base.

Maulden’s head coach has witnessed all the hard work and dedication she has put in her game and the program.

“This is very exciting for me,” Sims said. “Anytime a student signs a scholarship and pursues her future in athletics is very exciting. She is a very special kid. She leads by example and her academics speaks for itself.”

Maulden’s message to all her teammates in her attendance was continue to put in the work.

“Listen to all your coaches and work as hard as you can everyday,” Maulden said.