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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Billingsley High School’s hard hitting rising senior Sadie Primm was named the Class 1A Hitter of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association on June 8. Primm adds to her hardware shelves with another award after a stellar 2024 season for the Bears. Her other accolades following the 2024 season include First Team All-State honors by the ASWA, and a spot in the AHSAA North-South All-Star Softball Game in July.

Primm said she was not aware about the All-State teams named by the ASWA until this year when she landed on the list. Her mother, Tiffany Primm, relayed the news to her early one morning while she prepared for the work day.

“It is an awesome opportunity, and it is amazing to get the recognition for that. I was in complete shock,” Primm said. “I worked hard for it, so I was proud of myself.”

Primm’s season started off fast, batting over .700 through the first 10-15 games of the season. Then, she cooled down in the middle part of the year, but picked it back up down the stretch to end with very prolific numbers. Her stats in 2024 spoke for themselves as she slashed .518, .566 and 1.090 with batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, respectively. She recorded 57 total hits with 12 doubles, six triples and 13 home runs while driving in 52 runs for the Bears. Primm led Billingsley in all eight of those categories.

At the plate, Primm’s mentality is simple — find her pitch. That pitch is “belly-button high,” and she is not eager to swing at just anything she sees. She waits for that perfect pitch, and she attacks it whether it is on the first pitch or deeper into the at bat.

“I have really quick hands, so I manage to get everything into the ball at the right time on the right pitch,” Primm said.

Billingsley head softball coach last season Dustin Jones said Primm put in a lot of work outside of team practices, and it showed when game time came around. He said she was able to build off what she learned playing travel softball, and it helped boost the entire Bears’ team.

“She worked really hard,” Jones said. “It was a testament to her work ethic she had wanting to hit. She definitely earned it (this year) with the pitching we faced throughout the season, (Class) 1A to 7A, she was able to hit pretty much every pitcher we faced.”

The award for Primm came at the perfect time as she is currently in a small slump during her travel softball season. She is hoping this can boost her a bit, but she also realizes that things like that happen to every player, even the Class 1A Hitter of the Year.

“I like to stay really humble, and it is a lot of pressure, but pressure makes diamonds,” Primm said. “I think this all really keeps me humble, and I have to constantly remember that. When I am batting, or catching or doing whatever, I make myself forget about things like that so I do not get nervous and try to live up to expectations. I just want to have fun, and that is what got me here.”