There was something special, almost magical, when Paige Sayler pounded the yellow ball into her mitt and stepped into the circle. The confidence she had in herself to deliver the pitch she needed to make was as clear as the mask on her face and the Dexter on her jersey.
Her eyes would lock in on the target, the motion would create the speed and her right arm would do the rest. Step. Fire. Strike. Repeat.
Sayler, who graduated in the Spring, not only helped pitch the Dexter softball team into a Division 1 Regional final, she also helped at the plate, in the field and in the dugout. The senior was the complete player and person every coach loves to have on their team. Just ask the coach.
“We have all seen kids with skills, heart, game intelligence and work ethic, but it is really special when a coach gets a player with all of those characteristics,” says Dexter softball coach Tim Kimball, who has coached some amazing athletes over the years including several on last season’s roster. “She has always been one of the most mature players, even as a freshman. She is one of those people who not only has specific goals, but takes actions to achieve those goals and to control her future.
“And as a captain, she was very vocal in calling out ways for us to improve what we are doing, making us into a stronger organization. I could always count on Paige to share what she had learned from her years of travel and high school ball with the younger players. It was like having another coach.”
The Dreadnaughts, despite having only three seniors on the roster, had an amazing year, one that included getting better every time they stepped on the field. They won a District title and then defeated Novi 5-3 (after trailing 3-0) in a Regional semifinal before losing to South Lyon.
“Our team’s goal this year was to continue the strong bond and trust that we had the past few years,” says Sayler. “We knew it would be a new team after losing seven seniors in 2021, so we took every minute of practice, asked for more practice, and even gave each other extra feedback when needed. We grew immensely over the last season and we built each other up along the way.”
Sayler said the key to Dexter’s success was trusting each other.
“We had a young team and we knew that we had to learn to adapt and trust the person behind us,” she said. “We knew we had to keep each other in check if we wanted to succeed, but honestly, every person worked hard without being asked because they wanted to get better for everyone around them.”
Sayler was named Scholar Athlete, Academic All-State, First Team All-Conference, First Team All-District, First Team All-Region and Team MVP.
She pitched to a 2.90 ERA with 187 strikeouts to only 36 walks and allowed 45 earned runs in her 19 starts for the Dreadnaughts.
Offensively, she batted .409 in 88 at-bats with seven home runs – including one in the Regional semifinal win over Novi – and nine doubles and 29 RBI.
Before we look ahead, let’s step out of the batter’s box to the beginning.
Sayler started playing Little League when her family lived in Blissfield and once they moved to Dexter, Paige saw a flyer for Dexter Hurricanes Softball team.
“I immediately thought of trying out because I had always grown up around softball and the idea of playing year-round with like-minded players interested me,” she said. “I liked softball compared to other sports because it is not just two goals or nets on each side of the playing surface. There is mental and physical coordination that is like no other sport. Every play is different, it doesn’t feel like I’m doing the same thing on repeat, going back and forth.”
Sayler says she became a pitcher when she was about 10 years old. Let’s just say she was happy with her position of choice.
“In the circle, I understand that all I can do is pitch with the most focus and determination I can,” she says. “Knowing this, I can put all of my stress and worries behind me, knowing that if I can do the best for my team, they will do the same and pick me up defensively. And when there is a time where I get beat by the batter, then hats off to her! I then learn from it, work on it, and beat her next time.”
Sayler made the varsity team as a freshman and called it a learning experience. Covid cancelled her sophomore season. As a junior, Sayler was a starter in the outfield and a secondary pitcher to Sam Sutton. She was a captain in 2021 and was named to the Division 1 First Team All-District Outfield, All-SEC Honorable Mention, M-Live 2021 Dream Team Honorable Mention, and All-Region Honorable Mention.
Paige, 18, is the daughter of Elizabeth and Scott Sayler. She pitched to an impressive 4.04 GPA at Dexter and also played volleyball and was on the school’s powerlifting team. Her other interests include cooking, camping, youth group, and leadership opportunities.
She will continue her softball career next year at Central Michigan University.
“The reason why I chose CMU was the comforting feeling I got when visiting,” she said. “The school is a perfect size that fills all my academic expectations as a student. I always knew in the back of my mind I would go there just from the connection I built with the coaches.”
Sayler committed as an outfielder/utility player but will continue to pitch just in case the circle opens up. She also accepted a scholarship as 1 of 48 students in her class to represent the Leadership Institute at Central Michigan University.
“This will also allow me to advance in my leadership abilities through classes and the community the institute brings,” she says.
