About the time Vic Moten started playing softball, the pre-teen also saw her first University of Alabama games.

She was smitten.

The players, the atmosphere, the intensity — all sparked a desire that grew into an intense passion for the sport and vision for something more.

Her dream became reality when Daphne junior pitcher Moten recently committed to play softball for Alabama.

“This is very exciting,” Moten said. “When I was little, I used to go to Bama games and I never thought that I’d be given the opportunity to be able to go and play the highest level with Alabama. I mean, it’s really a dream come true.”

Moten helped Daphne to the ASHAA softball state championship tournament last season for the first time since 2017. She earned Class 7A first team all-state posting impressive numbers. Moten was 26-5 in the circle, striking out 350 in 165 innings (14.8 per seven innings) with an 0.51 ERA, 14 shutouts and six no-hitters.

“She’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said Daphne coach Jenny Laird, who knows plenty about elite pitchers after playing on three state championship teams at Baker and assisting on another. “And she was 15 years old last year during the season so she’s young for her class. She’ll graduate at 17 and she is literally the best pitcher I’ve ever seen.”

Moten is a multisport athlete, also playing flag football — it’s Daphne’s inaugural season for the sport and she scored the first touchdown — and basketball in addition to participating in travel softball.

She’s also strong at the plate, slugging a team-best 14 home runs, 64 RBIs and seven triples, along with 14 doubles and a .418 batting average.

Her forte is in the circle with a rise ball strikeout pitch, a curveball, a two-knuckle changeup and a screwball.

“She’s a power pitcher that also spins the ball,” Laird said. “She throws anywhere from 68 to 71 (mph) and just makes batters miss, makes good batters look really bad.

“She’s a great teammate. She wants the best for herself and for her teammates and she’s just an all-around team kid.”