Loren LaPorte and her coaching staff put in the work.
And, accordingly, the ninth-year James Madison softball coach had strong feelings about the way her first swing at recruiting former Beaver standout Payton List initially played out.
When LaPorte said she watched List dominate WPIAL competition she envisioned a career path much like that of her three previous first-team All-American players — Jailyn Ford, Megan Good and Odicci Alexander — who all shined as pitchers and hitters at the NCAA Division I level.
“It’s something that we really like as part of our game and what we do and when we go out recruiting,” LaPorte said. “We recruited Payton out of high school, and she was kind of the next two-way player, All-American in our eyes. She chose Virginia Tech, and we were a little upset about that.”
After List took a redshirt year as a freshman in Blacksburg, though, she opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
LaPorte didn’t miss her shot the second time around.
“We were one of the first people to call her,” she said. “I think it was between us and Tech in the recruiting process, so we already had a great relationship in that process. We told her, we were like, ‘We want you to do both,’ and I think she was looking to go somewhere that believes in that.
“There’s a lot of programs in the country that will not let their pitchers swing a bat or play a position,” she added. “She knew that was never going to be the case with us because of the success we’ve had with players like her.”
LaPorte’s persistence was rewarded this spring.
List blossomed into one of the nation’s top two-way players, leading her team at the plate with a .380 batting average while also collecting team highs with a 1.153 OPS, .709 slugging percentage, 14 home runs and 34 RBIs.
The Dukes’ designated player also dominated in the circle. The 5-foot-11 redshirt sophomore collected a team-low 3.07 ERA with a 12-8 record, three complete games and 74 strikeouts over 107 innings.
“I just take it game by game,” said List, who graduated from Beaver in 2022. “I try not to think about it. I just do the best of my ability in each game for my teammates.”
List received first-team All-Sun Belt Conference recognition after James Madison narrowly missed out on an NCAA tournament berth with a 3-2 loss to Coastal Carolina May 10 in the conference tournament championship game. She was also named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection.
“I’m on the All-American committee,” LaPorte said. “There’s only six of us on the committee that vote for All-American. I said, ‘Payton, I want to be in the room next year putting your name on the board for All-American.’ I think that’s her goal, is to be an All-American, and that’s hard to do.
“I think she is already somewhat the face of the program.”
Getting to that distinction so quickly did not come easily.
List said she learned a lot about herself during her redshirt season at Virginia Tech.
“Things don’t come easy,” she said. “You’ve got to work for it, and that showed there. You’ve also got to find your people. At Virginia Tech, it wasn’t really the best fit for me people-wise. I wasn’t enjoying myself. When you’re not enjoying yourself, you’re not going to enjoy the sport that you play either. I learned that lesson. Whenever I got in the portal, I chose family more than the business of the softball team.”
Business picked up for List, though, immediately upon arriving at James Madison’s Harrisonburg, Va., campus.
As a freshman, List hit .333 with a .649 slugging percentage, nine home runs and 29 RBIs. She also compiled a 10-9 record in the circle with a 5.51 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 89 innings en route to being named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year.
“The most I had to mature in was the mental game, and not getting into my head too much, knowing that you’re not going to be perfect every single time,” List said. “That was a lesson I learned a lot this year.”
LaPorte said List’s ability to hit a variety of different pitches has served her well.
“It’s hard to figure out how to get her out,” LaPorte said. “When she connects, her ball-exit [velocity] is probably 70-75 [mph] every time. Even when she miss-hits balls, they still get down, they still get hits, because she’s so strong.”
Once she steps out of the batter’s box and into the pitcher’s circle, LaPorte said List relies on her elite velocity.
“She’s the hardest thrower on the team when it comes to velo and she’s down,” LaPorte said. “She doesn’t give up a whole lot of home runs. I think the biggest thing to move forward for her is her command. We did struggle with walks this year. If you look at her numbers, her walks are way too high. She’s just got to get a little bit better command early in the count and be a little bit more efficient.”
LaPorte said the expectations are high for List moving forward.
“Payton is someone that she is so naturally gifted in our sport,” LaPorte said. “She can do things that we can’t teach and that’s a big reason why she is the ballplayer that she is. She is probably one of the most athletic players we’ve had in here, and you have to be that way in order to be a two-way player at this level.
“On top of that, I think, she is great to be around,” she added. “I think her teammates really enjoy having her around. I think now that she’s going to be an upper classmen she is kind of stepping into a leadership role. I do think she’s ready for it.”
List said she also takes comfort in a couple other former WPIAL players on James Madison’s roster.
Junior catcher Bella Henzler is a Hampton graduate, while freshman utility player Cali Legzdin is a Beaver Falls product.
Henzler took a medical redshirt in 2025 but was named first-team all-conference in 2024, hitting .347 with 11 home runs and 10 doubles.
Legzdin hit .348 with a 1.004 OPS and .580 slugging percentage. She hit seven home runs with 31 RBIs and a team-high 11 doubles and 24 stolen bases.
“I think it’s really cool that we have that many people representing the WPIAL on our team, especially at a school in Virginia,” List said. “I think it’s cool that our coaches are still going back to Pittsburgh … and knowing that there are those WPIAL girls and knowing that we are good.
“You can also find home in those people because they understand where you come from.”
List said she is excited about her prospect moving forward along with those of her program. She said she intends to lead the Dukes on a couple of long runs in the NCAA tournament.
“I think it’s getting everyone on the same page and knowing we can make the NCAA regionals,” List said. “We should have this year. I know we lost a lot of people, but we have a lot of people coming in and a lot of people who are still dedicated to this team.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.