University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Lyndi Rae Davis
March 17, 2022 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
There are athletic, sports-centric families and then there's Georgia softball freshman Lyndi Rae Davis' family.
Her dad, Michael, was an All-American baseball player at West Georgia and spent time in the Cleveland Guardians organization, and her mom, Lynn, played tennis at West Georgia. One uncle, Bobby Lamb, was a great quarterback at Furman before beginning a long coaching career, while her uncle Hal Lamb has been a very successful coach at Calhoun (Ga.) High School, where her father is the offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, her cousin Tre Lamb is the head football coach at Gardner-Webb, where another cousin, Taylor Lamb, is the quarterbacks coach after a great playing career at Appalachian State.
Got all that? Oh, and her mom is the tennis coach at Calhoun High School, where Davis was a softball star and won a state championship.
During a recent Quick Chat, Davis talked about her sports-oriented family, her first home run as a Bulldog, reading a pitcher's tells, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What is it like growing up in a family filled with talented athletes and coaches?
Davis: I think about it all the time and I just don't see how it could be any other way. I could not imagine not being in a life filled with sports, being around sports. Sports have been everywhere ever since I was a little girl. There are pictures of me from when I was really young running around on a football field.
It's kind of cool, though, because I'm the first female in my family to be a Division I athlete. They're all football players and they all did a good job, and it's kind of cool to have my own path in the world of softball.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up? And when did softball become your top priority?
Davis: I've always been a softball/basketball girl. Those were my main two sports, but I did also get into tennis for a while. I played tennis up until I was 10, and I was actually good because my mom was a tennis player. My mom got me into tennis and I actually played softball and tennis at the same time for a while.
When I was 10, I had to pick between softball and tennis. My parents were like, you can't do both. I was just crushed because I was playing in tennis tournaments and playing competitively. I ended up picking softball and from then on, it's always been softball and basketball.
Frierson: I always ask about a player's first home run, and yours should be very fresh in your mind since it was just a few weeks ago (Feb. 25, against Bryant). What can you tell me about hitting your first homer as a Bulldog?
Davis: Oh, it felt incredible. Honestly, I didn't even watch it go out. I was just like, "I've got to get to second base, I've got to get to second base." And then it went out. I was kind of in shock because I was like, "finally!" There was that feeling of relief, of getting your first home run out of the way.
It was an unreal moment and all of the girls were going crazy for me. A bunch of my family was here, too, so they were able to see it, and that was awesome to have them here and have them experience it also.
Frierson: Do you remember the pitch?
Davis: I do. Before I went to bat, it was my first at-bat of the game, I talked to one of the girls and she was like, "You can see her throw her changeup. She slows her body down." I think it was (a 2-0 count), maybe 2-1, and I could tell immediately that she'd slowed her body down, so I knew what pitch was coming. It was a changeup that she left up and out, and I just drove it.
Frierson: How much of being a good hitter is reading a pitcher and learning those tells?
Davis: Oh, it's huge. That's one thing that I have an advantage in as a player because I'm a catcher, so I immediately pick up signs and I see the ball out of their hand very well. That's one thing that I always look for. If a girl's holding a ball a specific way or slows her body down, I'm always looking for signs. Especially at this level, any advantage you can get is going to help you and take you far.
Frierson: Has your college experience thus far been about what you expected?
Davis: It's probably been everything and more, honestly. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I expected it to be hard, difficult, mentally challenging, all those things that you expect of college sports. But it's been so much more than that with the team and the coaches, they've been so helpful. It's been such a good environment and it's been so much fun. This is probably the most I've enjoyed softball ever.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
There are athletic, sports-centric families and then there's Georgia softball freshman Lyndi Rae Davis' family.
Her dad, Michael, was an All-American baseball player at West Georgia and spent time in the Cleveland Guardians organization, and her mom, Lynn, played tennis at West Georgia. One uncle, Bobby Lamb, was a great quarterback at Furman before beginning a long coaching career, while her uncle Hal Lamb has been a very successful coach at Calhoun (Ga.) High School, where her father is the offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, her cousin Tre Lamb is the head football coach at Gardner-Webb, where another cousin, Taylor Lamb, is the quarterbacks coach after a great playing career at Appalachian State.
Got all that? Oh, and her mom is the tennis coach at Calhoun High School, where Davis was a softball star and won a state championship.
During a recent Quick Chat, Davis talked about her sports-oriented family, her first home run as a Bulldog, reading a pitcher's tells, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What is it like growing up in a family filled with talented athletes and coaches?
Davis: I think about it all the time and I just don't see how it could be any other way. I could not imagine not being in a life filled with sports, being around sports. Sports have been everywhere ever since I was a little girl. There are pictures of me from when I was really young running around on a football field.
It's kind of cool, though, because I'm the first female in my family to be a Division I athlete. They're all football players and they all did a good job, and it's kind of cool to have my own path in the world of softball.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up? And when did softball become your top priority?
Davis: I've always been a softball/basketball girl. Those were my main two sports, but I did also get into tennis for a while. I played tennis up until I was 10, and I was actually good because my mom was a tennis player. My mom got me into tennis and I actually played softball and tennis at the same time for a while.
When I was 10, I had to pick between softball and tennis. My parents were like, you can't do both. I was just crushed because I was playing in tennis tournaments and playing competitively. I ended up picking softball and from then on, it's always been softball and basketball.
Frierson: I always ask about a player's first home run, and yours should be very fresh in your mind since it was just a few weeks ago (Feb. 25, against Bryant). What can you tell me about hitting your first homer as a Bulldog?
Davis: Oh, it felt incredible. Honestly, I didn't even watch it go out. I was just like, "I've got to get to second base, I've got to get to second base." And then it went out. I was kind of in shock because I was like, "finally!" There was that feeling of relief, of getting your first home run out of the way.
It was an unreal moment and all of the girls were going crazy for me. A bunch of my family was here, too, so they were able to see it, and that was awesome to have them here and have them experience it also.
Frierson: Do you remember the pitch?
Davis: I do. Before I went to bat, it was my first at-bat of the game, I talked to one of the girls and she was like, "You can see her throw her changeup. She slows her body down." I think it was (a 2-0 count), maybe 2-1, and I could tell immediately that she'd slowed her body down, so I knew what pitch was coming. It was a changeup that she left up and out, and I just drove it.
Frierson: How much of being a good hitter is reading a pitcher and learning those tells?
Davis: Oh, it's huge. That's one thing that I have an advantage in as a player because I'm a catcher, so I immediately pick up signs and I see the ball out of their hand very well. That's one thing that I always look for. If a girl's holding a ball a specific way or slows her body down, I'm always looking for signs. Especially at this level, any advantage you can get is going to help you and take you far.
Frierson: Has your college experience thus far been about what you expected?
Davis: It's probably been everything and more, honestly. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I expected it to be hard, difficult, mentally challenging, all those things that you expect of college sports. But it's been so much more than that with the team and the coaches, they've been so helpful. It's been such a good environment and it's been so much fun. This is probably the most I've enjoyed softball ever.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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