Current Methodist University outfielder and former James Kenan infielder Rachel Blanchard recently become one of just two Methodist players to make the NCAA Divison III Academic All-District First Team.
The award honors the athletes who were voted to have the best combination of on-the-field performance as well as academic performance in the classroom.
Ranchel Blanchard was also one of just three Methodist players named to American All-Conference First Team this year for softball, and she was the only player on the team to be nominated for Academic All-American Honors.
While Blanchard is now performing at her highest level in both the classroom and on the field, her journey to becoming the great player she is on the field was a much less straight-forward path than the one she has had performing in the classroom.
Academics were always something Blanchard excelled in from middle school until present day, and her Methodist head softball coach Alex Allaman even said that Blanchard came to her one day this season full of disappointment that she had a 3.9 GPA instead of a 4.0.
“She was a little bummed. She’s sitting at a 3.9 cumulative, but I’m like, ‘You know what, that’s still fantastic.’ She definitely takes her grades seriously.”
The path to success on the softball field, however, has been a much more difficult one for Blanchard who said she quit softball after her first experience playing it which was at the t-ball level.
“I played one year of t-ball, and I was awful at it, so I decided to quit that and start dancing. Then I quit dancing and decided to play softball in about the fourth or the fifth grade, and so I never played coach pitch,” Blanchard said.
After picking up softball again, Blanchard went on to have a successful middle school career at E.E. Smith and Kenansville Elementary as well as a very successful beginning to her high school career where she led her team in batting average (.474), hits (27) and was third on the team in RBIs (15). However, she once again faced adversity. After such an excellent start to her high school softball career, her sophomore season was cancelled after only five games due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Blanchard once again had no problem picking up the game after a prolonged absence away from it though, and her junior season (which was shortened to just 13 games) proved to be the best of her high school career. She led the team in batting average, batting an astounding .733, and she also led the team in hits (33), RBIs (30), and steals (15) in just 49 plate appearances.
She then followed up her junior season with an excellent senior season in which she was first on the team in runs (35), RBIs (36) and home runs (10), and she was also second on the team in batting average (.523) and third on the team in hits (30).
Following her high school career, Blanchard then joined Methodist University where; after dominating throughout her high school career, she struggled on the softball field for the first time since playing t-ball. In her limited playing time (where she only got on the field for seven games) she batted .118 and earned just two hits and one RBI in 17 at bats.
Blanchard didn’t give up though, and instead, she pushed herself to work even harder while also changing her approach at the plate.
“I took a break after (my) freshman year—came back in the fall and just really pushed myself. A mentality shift is what allowed me to perform better than I did the year before— just having that confidence in the box, and just not overthinking about all my mechanics like I did the year before with my swing, and just kind of letting my body (take over with) muscle memory, and allowing myself to do what I know I’ve been able to do for over 10 years,” Blanchard said.
When Blanchard came back her sophomore year of 2024, she came out like a new player (or more accurately) like the player she was in high school. She dominated on the field leading all Methodist players with at least 10 plate appearances in batting average (.431), hits (53), RBIs (27) and home runs (3).
Allaman said that with Blanchard’s excellent performances this season, she turned out to be the player she could count on to get the offense going.
“She ended up being a three-spot hitter, which is a tough spot to be in, but she handled it well. There were a few games where she definitely got the rally going for us: whether it was the momentum in the field with some of her plays or just up to bat with how she handled herself.”
Blanchard said that after having a successful sophomore season, she is actually thankful for many of the struggles she has faced because it allowed her to see what areas of her game needed improvement.
“I’m just thankful for my freshman year. I had to do a lot of self-reflecting and change my mentality, but I’m thankful for that year even though it wasn’t the most fun. I really do think that I needed it to become the ball player that I am today.”
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