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Zion Chapel senior softball star Amber Kidd signed her college letter-of-intent with Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla., on Monday, Nov. 6.

Kidd came to Zion Chapel last season after playing for Pike County High School the previous season. As a sophomore at Pike County, she boasted a .348 batting average with two home runs, two triples, nine doubles, 24 RBI and 12 runs. The catcher also earned a .994 fielding percentage with two runners picked off and 12 runners caught stealing.

As a junior, Kidd earned All-Messenger honors with a .479 batting average, 10 doubles, one triple and four homers. On defense, she earned a .995 fielding percentage with 17 runners caught stealing and three runners picked off in 182 innings behind the plate.

“(Kidd) came over to us last year but I’ve known her for awhile,” ZCHS Coach Ethan Deal said. “As good as she is on the field, she’s an even better person off the field. Those that know her know that. We’re going to miss her tremendously.”

Kidd chose to sign with Gulf Coast State over a number of other offers.

“I walked on campus and the coach was very personable, that really stood out,” Kidd said of her decision. “I haven’t really met a lot of college coaches that were that close with their players. I liked that.”

Kidd knows what a great coach can mean for an athlete having been coached by her own mother, Rebecca Kidd, in the past.

“She has meant a lot to me,” Kidd said of her mother. “She pushes me every day and doesn’t allow me to get complacent.”

Kidd is already setting goals for her college career.

“I want to play my first year,” she emphasized. “(The coach) told me he was giving me this offer, so I would come catch for him and not sit on the bench. I need to work to make sure I can play my first year.”

While she is the second of three Lady Rebels to sign college scholarships this week, Kidd said she hopes that this is just the start for the softball program.

“We hope that us signing will get more college coaches to pay attention to our players and see that we’re not just some redneck school in the middle of nowhere,” she flatly said. “We actually have really good athletes here.”

She also has high expectations for her senior season.

“I want us to make it to state,” Kidd said. “I feel like we have a really good opportunity and this is our time now. For us seniors, we don’t get another opportunity after this. We have to make the most of it.”