LANDIS — South Rowan junior Remington “Remi” Hagerty was All-State and the South Piedmont Conference, Rowan County and District 6 Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore, but she isn’t kicking back and relaxing in front of a TV.
Hagerty possesses an inner drive to be great, not just good, so softball never really stops for her. Softball is life.
On a Friday afternoon in October, Hagerty is on the road to Spartanburg, S.C., to pitch for her Tennessee Mojo travel team. She helps them win their bracket in a major tournament.
A lefty, Hagerty works on pitching mechanics frequently with Adrian Gantt at Extreme Performance in Salisbury, striving to get better. Hagerty believes she can improve her riseball and her changeup, so she puts in the hours to make that happen. She not only plays travel ball and school ball, she plays for Rowan Lady Legion in the summer.
“Remi continues to work hard in the season and out of the season,” South head coach Shane Stewart said. “Ever since she got to South as a freshman there was a world of expectations placed on her shoulders. We’ve leaned on her a lot, but she’s always delivered. She’s not only met the expectations everyone put on her, she’s exceeded them.”
If Hagerty stood 5-foot-10, she would be a Division I pitcher, but she’s 5-foot-4. She looks small, but she’s got a lot more bulldog than poodle in her. While she still has two years of high school ball in front of her, she already has been offered by Catawba College and has committed to the Indians.
“Love the coaching staff at Catawba and love pitching on that field,” Hagerty said. “I’ve got a lot of friends who are going to be playing there, so I was excited when Catawba offered.”
Hagerty fell in love with softball when she was very young, set the goal of pitching on TV in the Little League World Series and accomplished that mission along with her Rowan teammates in 2023. The first time a lot of Rowan sports fans heard about Hagerty was when she blew away Ohio and the Philippines in the World Series.
More people found about her in the televised semifinal against Pitt County. Rowan lost that one in the eighth inning, but Hagerty impressed everyone. She threw her 135th pitch of that game with the same fire with which she threw the first one.
Being a lefty always has been a big plus for Hagerty. Hitters don’t see that many left-handers. It’s a different look. Her spins are different. She can create uncomfortable angles for a girl standing in the batter’s box.
Besides the riseball and changeup, Hagerty can throw a two-seam fastball, curveball, screwball and drop.
Before Hagerty appeared at South along with powerful classmate Cressley Patterson, the Raiders were respectable in softball, but didn’t challenge the best teams in the South Piedmont Conference very often. Their arrival coincided with the hiring of Stewart. South started turning the corner and started winning close games the second half of Hagerty’s freshman year. She pitched a no-hitter against Carson.
Last spring, the Raiders not only won the SPC for the first time, they ran the table, 14-0, which meant they swept perennial powers West Rowan and East Rowan. South beat West for a third time in the SPC tourney championship game, with Hagerty, who was pitching against several of her best friends, striking out eight.
“We had a plan to turn around this program and Remi has been an integral part of it,” Stewart said. “Remi has that winning attitude. When she walked out to the circle, everyone believed we were going to win. She’s going to have an incredible opportunity to pitch for Catawba, and we’re excited about her college future, but there’s also a lot of unfinished business for her before she leaves South.”
The “unfinished business” Stewart is referring to is the state playoffs. South lost in the second round when Hagerty was a freshman. After earning a first-round bye, the Raiders lost 4-3 in the second round of the 2026 playoffs to Fred T. Foard.
“Making a playoff run next season is definitely a lot of motivation,” Hagerty said. “We all are working for that.”
Hagerty, who turned 16 in June, was 16-3 (South was 21-3) with four strikeouts for every walk in 2026. Stewart could have padded her strikeout and win totals, but she only pitched the competitive games. In the certain blowouts, Hagerty didn’t see the circle.
She can play first base and swung the bat effectively for the Raiders as a sophomore. She batted .400 with 17 RBIs and may be counted on even more to drive in runs by South next season. Patterson, SPC and Rowan Player of the Year, has become such an offensive force that teams may walk her frequently.
Hagerty doesn’t hit homers, but she strokes a lot of doubles and could get a chance to swing some for Catawba.
Hagerty is strong academically, which helped make her an early recruit. She’s a member of the National Honor Society and may major in biology at Catawba.
