Photo courtesy of Annie Gregory
Annie Gregory has committed to play softball at Samford University. Photo courtesy of Annie Gregory.
Annie Gregory’s path may seem straightforward on the surface, but it has been far from that.
The Mountain Brook High School graduate has committed to play softball at Samford University, capping a two-year detour that took her away from the sport and back again.
Gregory spent her senior season chasing a spot at the Naval Academy, but she was not accepted. Rather than return to softball despite offers to keep playing, she enrolled at Marion Military Institute for the 2024-25 school year to pursue a second application, a year built around 6 a.m. wake-up calls, daily workouts and formations in uniform. She earned four nominations to the Naval Academy. She still did not gain admission.
"I know God's plans were and are always in place," Gregory said.
She returned to the game she grew up playing, signing on for the 2026 season at Southern Union State Community College.
"It was great to be back at it," Gregory said. "It showed me that I can play at the highest levels."
That path now leads to Samford, a decision Gregory credits to the academics, the faith-based mission, its proximity to home and coach Megan Curry's program.
"The biggest lesson I've learned over these past years is that you are going to fail a lot more times than you succeed, but it is what you do with the failure," Gregory said. "Rejection just means redirection."
