By Catherine Laroche
Every player gets her start somewhere. For senior softball pitcher Aja Sherman, it was watching her best friend and older brother Justin Sherman, who now plays baseball for the Kansas City Royals.
“I grew up watching my brother play baseball, and my best friend played softball. My brother is my role model,” Sherman said.
Before traveling from Las Vegas, Nev., to U of L, Sherman lettered in softball for four years in high school. She was named All-Sunset Region Most Valuable Pitcher, earned Nevada All-State Team honorable mention, and was named First Team All-Sunset Region.
“When I came to U of L for a campus visit, the first thing I noticed was the amazing support for athletics,” Sherman said.
“I also noticed that the facilities for both girls and guys were awesome. I talked to the coaching staff and I liked what they said, so I thought I would fit in. They said their goal was to build a program and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Sherman continued her success as a member of the U of L softball team. She was named Preseason Pitcher of the Year for the Conference USA by league coaches and earned her first Pitcher of the Week Award of this season on Feb. 21 for her pair of shut-outs in the Mardi Gras Classic.
Last season, Sherman made Cardinal history by throwing Louisville’s first perfect game. Sherman posted a 5-0 five-inning victory over Charlotte. She was voted team co-captain and was twice named C-USA Pitcher of the Week. She led the team with a 1.40 ERA from the mound and had 162 strikeouts in 150 innings pitched.
As a sophomore, she showed her versatility in 49 games (starting in 48 games) as she split her playing time between first base and pitcher. She batted .260 with 34 hits, seven doubles and a home run.
As a freshman, Sherman started in 52 games and had 33 hits and a .224 batting average. She recorded five doubles and three home runs. She also drove 16 runs and scored 14 runs in her freshman season.
“My best memory of softball is when I pitched a perfect game. It was the best feeling ever,” Sherman said.
U of L’s coaching staff is very pleased with Sherman’s success thus far.
“Last year, Aja established herself as a very tough pitcher to beat,” head softball coach Sandy Pearsall said.
“I feel this year we will see Aja prove her finesse on the mound and lead this team to success. She continues to impress me with her work ethic and has definitely met the expectations we had when we recruited her.”
Sherman plans to earn a degree in photography. “My plans after college are to get a job and continue playing softball,” Sherman said.
“It would be nice to play in the U.S. or abroad, so I can use my photography.”
But before Sherman graduates from U of L, she said she hopes the team will return to the NCAA Regional tournament.
“We have a great team this year, so everyone should come out to see us,” she said.
