UNCW Softball adds ‘dynamic arm’ for 2023 with local standout Allie Royal
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Head Coach Kristy Norton has announced local Allie Royal will join the UNCW softball team next season following a four-year prep career at nearby Hoggard High School. Royal, a native of Wilmington, N.C., stays home to play for the Seahawks less than two miles from where she led the Vikings to the 2021 Mideastern Conference and 4A State Championships under former Hoggard coach Colleen St. Ledger, who retired after the title run and was replaced by Annah Radford, a UNCW Alum, this season.
“We are really excited about the addition of Allie to our team,” said Norton, the Seahawks’ tenth-year bench boss “She is a quality athlete that has played two sports at a very high level. She took her time and decided that softball was the route she wanted to go at the college level. She has a dynamic arm with solid skills as an infielder and will add a lot of power to our offense.”
The 5-10 infielder has totaled a .306 average with 12 home runs and 51 RBI during her 4 years on Hoggard’s varsity softball team. Through 11 games this season, Royal has hit .412 with four home runs across 40 plate appearances.
During the Vikings’ title run in her junior season, Royal hit .322 with five round-trippers and 29 RBI. The state championship campaign ended with Royal capturing First-Team distinctions at the county, conference, district, and state levels. A two-sport star at Hoggard, Royal also played volleyball where she was named the team’s Most Valuable Player as well the recipient of the Coaches Award following her junior season. Royal’s ties to the Seahawks extend to her father, Carson, who graduated from UNCW in 1983.
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