By Kyle Coppola
The Villages Emily Thompson Is Our Student Athlete of The Week
Emily Thompson, a freshman playing softball for The Villages Charter High School, is our Student Athlete Of The Week. She has had an impressive start to her high school career, bursting onto the scene last year with 100 innings pitched and 168 strikeouts, instantly becoming a star pitcher in our area after surrendering only 21 earned runs.
(Emily Thompson boasts a 2.33 ERA with 144 strikeouts this year. Photo Credit Rich LeMoyne.)
This year, Emily Thompson continues to shine, approaching 90 innings pitched with 144 strikeouts and a 2.23 ERA, among the lowest in Class 3A District 6. She currently ranks 5th in Class 3A in strikeouts and 16th in the state of Florida, showcasing her strength on the mound.
The Villages team has faced stiff competition, including a recent game against Eustis, where despite a 3-2 loss, Thompson pitched an outstanding game against the #6 team in Florida. She pitched 7 innings, striking out 11 batters and allowing only 6 hits and 3 earned runs.
(Emily Thompson is excited after hitting a double against Eustis High. She had 2 RBI’s and 2 hits in the game. Photo Credit – Rich LeMoyne.)
Not only a formidable pitcher, Thompson has also excelled at the plate. In the Eustis game, she had a double and drove in 2 RBI’s. Her batting average of .375 ranks 2nd on the team, showcasing her versatility and contribution to the team’s success.
Thompson’s on-base percentage (OBP) of .500 is notable, demonstrating her ability to get on base consistently, a crucial advantage for any team. Her smart play behind the plate has earned her the most walks on the team. In the movie Moneyball the biggest thing was getting on base. It doesn’t matter how you do it but if you get on base you give the team a chance to succeed. Thompson gets on base and that is a huge advantage for any team. The only player who gets on base more is Lexy Sanchez who has a .536 OBP.
(#3 Emily Thompson gets encouragement from #22 Bailey Keller who’s a senior on The Villages. Keller is a multi-sport athlete and was also the goalkeeper on the soccer team.)
Recognized as one of the most promising talents in Sumter County, Thompson’s performance is complemented by teammates like Gracin Pulley, leading in stolen bases for Class 3A District 6.
(Emily Thompson gets a mound visit with her teammates. These ladies have been playing their hearts out this season.)
With standout performances from Peyton Foley, Syndney Rich, Lexi Galewski, and Lexy Sanchez, The Villages team is poised for success as they approach the district tournament, with only a few games left in the regular season.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
