Two-sport standout ends second season on the diamond in impressive fashion

In 2024, she and her Cougars teammates won both the Mid-State 3A regular season and conference tournament championships and advanced to the third round of the NCHSAA state playoffs.

Rockingham lost a 1-0 heart-breaker on the road to No. 3 seed East Rowan (23-3) May 13. Pruitt and the defense behind her, had a five-inning shutout going, but the Mustangs finally had some success at the plate in the top of the sixth, plating the lone run of the game. Pruitt gave up just two hits on the night.

The Cougars closed out the season with a 19-6 overall record and were 12-0 in Mid-State 3A Conference play.

Pruitt achieved a personal milestone along the way in 2024 season, setting the new single game county record for strikeouts with 19, breaking the previous mark of 17 held by Morehead’s Evie Scott which was set in 2012.

“I thought I was doing pretty good in that game. We had a nice lead and we didn’t have many getting on base, but I didn’t know I was close to breaking a record,” she said.

Even after all of the success Pruitt has achieved so far in her young athletic career, she said the pressure still gets to her when runners are in scoring position, and the game is on the line.

“Yeah, it does get to me because I have a lot of pressure on me sometimes, but I have learned just to take a moment and breath,” said Pruitt.

The sophomore struck out 233 batters this season and already has well over 400 strikeouts in her first two years. If Pruitt stays on track, it appears that two other lofty career marks of wins (67 MHS Evie Scott) and strikeouts (712 — Scott) may be within reach.

Pruitt has a record of 32-11 over the course of two seasons. She compiled a 2.86 ERA and was no slouch on offense either. She had a batting average of .357, had 20 hits and 23 RBIs in 2024.

She was a Mid-State 3A All-Conference, All-District and All-State selection in her freshman season in 2023. Although, awards have yet to be officially released since spring sports are still underway, it appears she’s on target once again to repeat with those honors again in 2024.

She and the Cougars came close to winning a state championship during her freshman campaign as Rockingham made it to the 2023 3A NCHSAA Final Four before losing 2-1 to eventual state champion East Lincoln.

Excellence on the hardwood and in the classroom as well

In addition to softball, Pruitt is also a varsity starter on the basketball team and led the Cougars in scoring and assists during the 2023-2024 season. She has amassed over 600 points in her first two years and was a two-time Mid-State 3A All-Conference selection on the hardwood as well.

The Cougars faced a major hurdle after unexpectedly losing two key players from the previous season entering the 2023-2024 campaign. Because they lost two former starters, many insiders thought the team might struggle, especially considering the entire starting five were all underclassmen.

Pruitt said entering last season, she and her teammates knew it was going to be a challenging season.

“We were kind of worried about it because they were two of our best players and we thought we needed them, but we handled it well as a team,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt has proven to have a solid outside shooting touch, can finish on the break, and plays strong defensively as well.

Ultimately, Rockingham defied expectations and closed out the season with an impressive 18-8 overall record and 11-4 mark in the loaded Mid-State 3A Conference.

“Ava Grace is a very talented individual and always does what is asked of her. She is not only a good athlete, but she is a good person as well. I’m very proud of her accomplishments in softball and in basketball as well. We are glad she is a part of our women’s basketball family and look forward to the next two years,” Rockingham head basketball coach Jesse Wall said.

Aside from sports, Pruitt takes the student part, of the student-athlete equation, very seriously as well. She has a 4.3 GPA and is already thinking ahead about her future after high school. Her top three college choices at this point are UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and NC State—in addition to Clemson and Virginia Tech out of state. But if she continues to pitch the way she has during her first two years, she may have other colleges to consider with potential scholarships on the table being a distinct possibility.

Pruitt said a great deal of her success to date is because of the support of her family, teammates and coaches, but she said that there is no substitute for hard work.

“I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and I’m proud of all of the work that I put in paid off, and I’m proud of all of the others for all they’ve achieved too.”