Going to college will be a short trip for Vidalia High School’s Laura Vinson, but it has been a long journey getting there. Vinson has signed to play softball at Brewton Parker College in Mount Vernon which is just 12 miles up the road from her high school. To get there, however, she had to overcome a debilitating knee injury that forced her to put most of her athletic endeavors on hold – which is saying a lot for someone who excelled in not one, but five sports.
During her senior year, the fear of not being able to play became a reality when Vinson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. The injury occurred during her senior year, so she pushed herself through the pain to finish the softball season. After the season, she had the ACL repaired but recuperation kept her from playing any other sports her senior year which was a blow to the Indians’ other teams.
Although she plays lots of sports, softball has always been her favorite. She usually plays first base but can play just about anywhere on the field. “Except pitcher,” she said.
Despite the knee injury, Vinson finished the season with a .344 batting average, nine doubles, and 16 runs scored. “Laura was our 
three-hole hitter, so she is a player that we really looked for to get things done,” said Brad Thompson, Head Softball Coach at Vidalia High School. “She hit for power in the gaps and very seldomly struck out.” The Indians were 20-11 last season and made it to the quarterfinals of the GHSA state softball playoffs.
Vinson has been a multi-athlete standout since sixth grade. She played travel soccer when she was 12-years-old and then started playing softball. She was the youngest on her travel team but somehow kept up with the older girls. Since middle school, Vinson was a five-sport athlete at Vidalia, playing softball, basketball, soccer, track, and cross country. Not surprisingly, Vinson was named “Most Athletic” in her senior class. Her favorite part of playing sports? “Being around my teammates.”
One of her biggest games came in her junior season. Vinson recalls, when she got to step up big for the Lady Indians during the state tournament. Playing a team they had never beaten – the Bacon County Red Raiders – Vinson came up in the order after nearly everyone on the team had struck out. Vinson got a good pitch and sent the ball over the fence for a homerun and the victory.
Vinson now spends most of her time studying, practicing, or playing, but she does make time for some fun. “I go to mud bogs and hang out with my friends,” she said. “Basically my life is sports.” Her athletic career will continue. Vinson is set to begin playing for the Brewton Parker College Barons. While there, she plans to major in sports medicine to become an athletic trainer or a physical therapist.
Coach Thompson believes the Barons are getting an outstanding player who is able to produce every day. “She worked to get herself and our team better. Laura was a true example of Indian Pride and will deeply be missed by her Vidalia softball family.”
CL-SF-0814-Vinson
Laura Vinson
Vidalia High School
Girls softball
Vidalia, Ga
By Rob Asbell
Photos by Ginger Russell Photography
