A fitting end: Trosclair goes out as one of the greats at Memphis

Nicholls cross country inks signees
June 20, 2018
Jackie Womack
June 20, 2018
Nicholls cross country inks signees
June 20, 2018
Jackie Womack
June 20, 2018

When Kyler Trosclair signed with Memphis after a decorated softball career at Ellender Memorial High School, she said her goal was to work hard in hopes of someday being a starter at the next level.

Now, four years later, Trosclair leaves the program as a married woman, a college graduate and arguably the greatest individual player in the history of the Lady Tigers’ upstart program.


Trosclair’s career was nothing short of epic – a four-year ride which saw individual success and also the ascent of Memphis from a bottom-ranking team to one which competes favorably in the American Athletic Conference.

Trosclair said this past weekend that the journey has been nothing short of amazing, calling her college ride the best years of her life. She ended her career with a bang, batting greater than .400 as a senior, while soaring to Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, while breaking almost every offensive record in the Lady Tigers’ record book.

“My senior year was the best year by far of my collegiate career,” Trosclair said. “Our team set so many records and it was the best season in Memphis softball history. It was so fun to play with that group of girls and the season I had individually made my senior season an incredible one.”


Boy, she’s not kidding.

Trosclair was an absolute monster for the Lady Tigers.

Batting leadoff and playing shortstop for Memphis, Trosclair was the heartbeat of a Lady Tigers team that posted a 37-21 record and was near the top of the conference for the first time in school history.


Trosclair was dynamite offensively, hitting .405 with a team-high 37 RBI. She had 79 hits, 4 doubles and 8 triples offensively and was virtually impossible to strike out, recording 16 walks, compared to just 13 strikeouts in 195 at-bats.

Trosclair’s success cemented her place in Memphis softball history – the finishing touches on a career that was filled with successes.

She landed at the next level after a dynamite career at Ellender where she was one of the best hitters in the state of Louisiana.


As a senior in 2014, Trosclair hit .600 with three home runs, taking 30 bases in the process.

In part because of her successes, the Lady Patriots made the State Tournament for the first time since 1991. For her efforts, Trosclair was named First-Team All-State.

She picked Memphis after fielding interest from several schools around the country. It didn’t take long for her to make a bang at the collegiate level of play.


As a true freshman in 2015, Trosclair started in 52 games for the Lady Tigers, batting .306 with four extra-base hits. For her efforts, she was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.

Trosclair said when she signed with Memphis, she just wanted to contribute in any way at the next level.

But when she got to campus and faced the pitching, she knew that much more would be possible with hard work and dedication.


“In my freshman year, I expected college to be really tough and I wasn’t sure how I would do,” Trosclair said. “But I soon realized that I was capable of competing at this level and succeeding.”

That she did.

The final three seasons of Trosclair’s career were the stroke of brilliance.


As a sophomore, Trosclair built on her freshman success, batting .302 in 56 games, while stealing 23 bases.

As a junior, she exploded and became a force – one of the best players in the American Athletic Conference. In that season, she hit .394 with a .454 on-base percentage, stealing 32 bases, while scoring 38 runs.

That success set up Trosclair’s senior success, which cemented her place as arguably the top player in Memphis history.


She leaves the program as the Lady Tigers’ career hits leader, stolen bases leader and she’s also scored more runs than anyone else in Memphis’ program.

While competing with the team, the Lady Tigers also had a turnaround in the standings, going 19-34 in 2015, 26-31 in 2016, 29-27 in 2017 and then 37-21 in 2018.

“These truly have been the best years of my life so far,” Trosclair said with a smile, looking back.


But now it’s over and the local said it’s time to excel in something else – the workforce.

In addition to being a dominant athlete, Trosclair was a model student-athlete, routinely earning Dean’s List, Tiger 3.0 Club and All-Academic recognition.

She graduated in Mechanical Engineering and is choosing to not pursue a career in softball. She adds quickly that those plans may change in the future, though.


“I have chosen not to pursue coaching, at least not for now,” Trosclair said. “I plan on starting a career and possibly giving lessons in the future to stay connected to the sport.”

But that doesn’t mean that the transition won’t be awkward – at least in the beginning.

Trosclair said she’s been a softball player her whole life, adding that it feels weird to not have a season to prepare for.


She said she looks back on college and wonders where the time went, adding that it gives her great comfort in knowing that she made the most of both her roles – as a student and as a athlete both.

“For me, college went by fast, but also at the same time, it didn’t,” she said. “It sounds weird, but my major was really hard and time consuming, so it made it feel like I was never going to be done with school. But when softball season would start, it was like the season would be over in the blink of an eye. It is really crazy to think that it is over, though, because for my whole life, I looked forward to those four years and now, they’re done. Being a collegiate athlete was so much more than I could have ever imagined.” •

Kyler TrosclairCOURTESY


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