By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE — Phoebe Cole started her softball journey when she was 5 years old, and it’s not over.

Next for the recent Carson graduate is Gaston College where she’ll continue her education and play softball for the Rhinos.

While Gaston College has been around since 1963, the softball program is almost brand new.

It got started in 2022, but the Rhinos have gotten on the map quickly. Former Central Cabarrus star Brantleigh Parott was an All-American this season for Gaston and led the Rhinos to the junior college World Series.

“I signed to pitch for Gaston, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up playing a different position,” Cole said. “If there is an open position and chance for me to play, I will take it 100 percent.”

Cole has overcome a lot, including significant concussions. She has continued to approach softball and life with a positive attitude.

While she has pitched quite a bit over the years since getting started in the game with East Rowan Diamond Sports, she was only in the circle for a  handful of games for Carson as a senior. The Cougars had Lees-McRae signee Lonna Addison pitching, so Cole handled the critical shortstop position.

“Phoebe is a very well-rounded athlete and she is versatile enough to excel at any position and contribute wherever she is needed,” Carson head coach Hunter Gibbons said. “I thought she had a commendable leadership style, leading by example and inspiring younger teammates with her work ethic, her resilience and determination. Besides being a great role model, she gave it her all every game. She gave us unwavering effort.”

Cole made the All-Rowan County and All-South Piedmont Conference teams and made the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association’s All-District 6 team that includes Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties.

Cole batted .302 as a senior with five doubles. Her 16 RBIs tied for second on an 18-9 team that reached the fourth round of the 3A state playoffs and her 25 runs scored were third on the team behind Addison and Division I recruit Landry Stewart.

Cole believes her best effort as a senior was against a stout Mooresville team. She had two hits and made a diving catch in the field.

Cole was coached by her father, Jeff, until she was in middle school, and she still lists him as the coach who has been the biggest influence on her career.

She credits former Carson head coach Charissa Duncan with teaching her about hard work and perseverance, and she’s grateful for coach Scott Cozart, who assisted Jeff Cole for years.

“Coach Cozart treated me as if I was his own daughter for the entire time I knew him,” Cole said.

Cole knew by the time she was 10 that softball would be her favorite sport and the sport she was best at.

“I realized I could form friendships that would last a lifetime through softball,” Cole said. “I was picked for an all-star tournament and when we took that first road trip I met awesome people like Holly Stowe and Emily Kann, who have been my friends and teammates for many years.  I think I started loving softball because of the fast pace and non-stop action. With its ever-changing atmosphere and constant momentum, softball is unlike any other sport I’ve ever tried to play.”

Gibbons took the reins as Carson’s head coach for this season, and after a tough start against a very tough schedule the Cougars started to click.

They had a fine season. Besides beating three good teams in the playoffs, they beat West Rowan and East Rowan once and Central Cabarrus twice.

Gibbons credits a strong graduating class — Cole, Addison, Stewart, Stowe and Kann — for getting things turned around.

“The chemistry we had this year was unlike any other season,” Cole said. “This season was my favorite year playing for Carson.”

She noves on now to next-level softball, and she hopes that Gaston College will lead to a nursing career in trauma care.

“I’ve always known I wanted to work in health care, but I decided to pursue nursing in the last year,” Cole said. “I’m passionate about it. The plan is to work in an emergency room.”