Forrest’s Laura Mealer has so much athletic talent it’s ridiculous and the Chapel Hill senior is currently proving herself to be one of the best players in District 12-AA and Mid-State basketball.

As good as she is on the hardwood, Mealer is even better on the softball diamond as a cover it all defender and a dominating force at the plate.

Mealer’s prowess has earned her a scholarship to play for the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Blue Raiders softball team, which is also the alma-mater of Forrest softball coach Shelby (Stinnett) Lightfoot, who played at MTSU from 2011-14.

“I’m extremely pumped, I not only know some of the players that are already there, but also know some of the girls that are migrating as well,” Mealer said. “I’m extremely excited about the future and what is coming at MTSU for sure.”

“I talked to a so many different places, but MTSU seemed like the best fit for me, they were with me the whole time, they really stuck out to me, they have everything I’m looking for and they are not too far from home.”

Lightfoot was the pitcher for the Lady Rockets’ when they won the school’s first state title in 2008, was an assistant coach when they won again in 2015, and was the head coach when Forrest claimed its third state title in 2019.

“Having some one of her caliber going to my alma mater, I mean that’s great for me, I love sharing that with her,” Lightfoot said. “She is a tremendous athlete and will do great things there.”

Lightfoot holds the state record in softball for most state tournament appearances on the mound and is tied for fifth all-time in pitching appearances as a Blue Raider with 95.

In 2019, Mealer and the Lady Rockets dominated Class 2A softball with a gaudy 37-5 overall record, an undefeated 11-0 district mark, and a four-game sweep at the Spring Fling.

Mealer was named as the District 12-AA Offensive Player of the Year with 39 doubles, 7 HR, 43 RBI, a .511 batting average, a .640 on base percentage, a .944 slugging percentage, and 27 stolen bases.

“To be honest, she is probably one of the best natural talents that we’ve ever had come through our program,” Lightfoot said. “Easy to coach, she knows the game well, you don’t have to do much because she is such a competitor, so she is actually the one when you come down to a crucial situation she wants the bat in her hand or she wants to make the play and that is hard to find, hard to come by.”

“Laura is definitely a leader in the aspect of her play, I mean she makes plays we have never seen before…those are collegiate plays.”

In 2019, Mealer was also voted to the All-State Team for the second time and All-District Team for the third time.

The Forrest second baseman talked about her lifelong support network and how that was so important to her development.

“I’ve had support at so many levels, no matter who it was I always had somebody in my corner,” Mealer said. “Whether it was my grandparents, my great grandparents, my great aunts and uncles, my mom or my dad, I’ve always had 10 people in the stands just for me.”

“I know me and my family have worked extremely hard, we practice every day with all sports, we practice non-stop, all of us, so we are all just really big competitors and just love to compete.”

Mealer will get to play under a Tennessee softball coaching legend in Jeff Breeden, who is entering his ninth season as coach of the Blue Raiders after a 22-year storied high school coaching career, compiling a 764-188-3 record, including a 423-67-3 record from 2004-2012 at Riverdale where the Lady Warriors claimed the 2009 state championship.

MTSU has a 44-43 record over the last two seasons after surprising everyone in 2018 when they won its first Conference-USA Tournament title as a six seed, earning them a second NCAA regional appearance ever.

Asked how the Forrest program gets players ready for the next level, Mealer said, “The way Shelby runs her program, she runs her program at a very elite and top-notch level to get us ready for college,

“With her being at MTSU, we have all heard all about what they do and I’m very excited.”

Mealer and the Lady Rockets are in a unique position this season as they return as the defending state champions after the 2020 campaign was wiped out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Definitely not having the season last year has made them excited, made them want to be out there,” Lightfoot said. “The sky is the limit for this team, we are bringing back a whole senior infield, we are a little young in the outfield, but man, we have every girl in our infield except catcher to go sign to play ball, so the leadership aspect is there.”

They are ready, chomping at the bit to get on field for the first day of practice on February 15 and the beginning of the regular season on March 15 in an attempt to be the first Forrest team to capture back-to-back state titles.

“This year makes it even more exciting because not only did we know we had the chance to go back-to-back winning state in softball last year, but we didn’t get the opportunity to, which makes this year one of the biggest years for us,” Mealer said. “Just taking that opportunity, since it is our last year here and trying to be the first team to go back-to-back is an opportunity I’m very excited for.”

Mealer wants to be a lawyer and currently has a gaudy 3.54 GPA at Forrest.