In 2014, Mo’ne Davis took the world by storm, becoming the first girl pitcher to lead her team to a Little League World Series, not to mention she was the first African American girl to lead her team to the World Series.
Everyone wanted to know Mo’ne. NBA superstar Kevin Durant tweeted her from his actual account (not his burner page). Jimmy Fallon wanted an interview. Mo’ne became the first little leaguer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a little leaguer. She starred in a Spike Lee-directed car commercial. Her jersey is on display in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and she threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of the 2014 World Series.
Now, the Philadelphia little league legend and high school senior is taking her talents to Hampton University to play softball, her parents told The Philadelphia Tribune.
Surprisingly, Hampton coach Angela Nicholson told the Daily Press Davis won’t be a pitcher when she joins the team in the fall. Davis will play middle infielder.
“As you could imagine, she has great hands and a great transfer,” Nicholson told the newspaper. “Hitting-wise, she already has a nice lift on her ball and understands the concept of gap-to-gap. She has great mechanics and she’s fast. She’s very athletic.”
Mo’ne had her choice of schools, including Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Southern University, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Pennsylvania but chose Hampton because of the communications program.
“I know she doesn’t want it to be about her, and neither do we,” Nicholson told the Daily Press. “We want her to have a great experience and be like everybody else.
“But her status will come along with her. The press will come along with her, whether we want it or not. We’re blessed to have her, and we’re excited for anything that will promote Hampton University.”