Paige Honeycutt has always been ahead of the pack. As a youngster, she tended to play above her age group on her sister’s softball teams. She was the starting catcher for East Surry her first season at the school. On Friday, Honeycutt continued the trend by signing on to play at Surry Community College as the first softball recruit in school history.

“I‘ve seen her through the years and, obviously, she’s the kind of player you want on your team, in numerous ways,” Surry Coach Amber Reid said. “I was pumped when we had the opportunity to start recruiting and she was the first person I thought of.”

The scholarship Honeycutt received is good for two years, at $1,500 per year. The only expenses she incurs will be books.

Honeycutt will leave quite a legacy behind at East Surry. Derrick Hill, who has coached the East Surry softball team for 13 years, called Honeycutt the best catcher he has ever coached. Her bat was just as potent as her defense.

“She turned out to be one of the best hitters we’ve ever had,” Hill said, “especially as a clutch hitter. If you put her in a situation when we’re tied or down one, she’s going to get a hit, and that’s something you can’t teach.”

Where Honeycutt especially shined was the Cardinals’ state-title run last season, three years after her older sister, Brooke, won Most Valuable Player honors in the same tournament.

Paige Honeycutt (front right) signs her letter of intent as the first softball recruit in the
history of Surry Community College as Knights coach Amber Reid (left) looks on. (Back
row, from left to right) Paige's father, her sister, Brooke, East Surry coach Derrick Hill,
Paige's mother, Ann, and Cardinals baseball coach Barry Hall.