Sure, most triples are shots in the gap or blasts over an outfielder’s head, but Rileigh Glynn has found another way to get to third base quickly.
She slaps a single and simply steals two bases. Instant rally.
Glynn, the center fielder and lefty-hitting leadoff hitter for the Finch’s Aces 18U Premier team, has committed to Bucknell University where she will continue to showcase her trademark speed and athleticism.
“Rileigh’s best assets are her speed, knowledge of the game and love of the game,” said Immaculata head coach Gary Bury. For Glynn, that is actually an unbeatable trifecta.
Glynn will be a four-year starter and team captain when she begins her senior season at Immaculata of Somerville next spring. She’ll also do so having already reached the coveted 100-career-hit plateau. The Spartan’s shortstop ripped a single up the middle against Hillsborough in her final at bat of the 2019 season.
“I got two hits that game,” said Glynn. “The 100th was pretty cool.”
Glynn had 32 hits and more than 30 stolen bases for Immaculata last spring, batting a robust and team high .463 against some of the best competition in the state. Immaculata plays in the rugged Skyland Conference.
Glynn was actually looking in the south for a school that matched her softball skills and academic desires. St. Leo in Florida and Appalachian State in North Carolina had caught her eye.
She then went to a camp at Bucknell on Sept. 8.
“I was supposed to go down to St. Leo a couple weeks after the Bucknell camp,” said Glynn. “But two days after the camp I committed to Bucknell.”
Bucknell assistant Matt Burns had gotten a good look at Glynn’s skills during the TTSM National Softball Camp at Diamond Nation in late July and Glynn, subsequently, got a good look at Bucknell five weeks later.
“Bucknell had exactly what I wanted,” said Glynn. “I wanted to go down south, originally. Then I stepped on Bucknell’s campus, saw the brick buildings, the sun was setting. It blew me away.”
Bucknell also offered excellent softball facilities and a major that matched Glynn’s academic wishes. “I’m going to major in either biomedical engineering or biophysics,” she said. “Bucknell expressed interest in me during the camp at Diamond Nation and they reached out to Tommy (Tarulli).”
Tarulli is Diamond Nation’s Softball Recruiting Coordinator.
Glynn met the Bucknell coaching staff during the school’s camp, including head coach Joey Lye, a member of the Olympics-bound Canadian National Softball Team. Bucknell posted a 27-23-1 overall record in 2019 in Lye’s first season at the helm. The Bison were also 13-5 in the Patriot League.
Glynn was assuredly impressed by Lye.
“And I thought it would be cool to play at the college level for a female coach,” she said.
Glynn is in her fifth season with the Finch’s Aces at Diamond Nation. That makes her, currently, the longest tenured player in the program. She joined the Aces as a 13 year-old.
“Rileigh is very versatile,” said Jackie Tarulli, Diamond Nation’s Director of Softball Operations and the Aces Premier coach. “She’s great in center field and a good slapper. We love her going from first-to-third. She’s a longtime Aces player and a good person.”
Bury, who is well known on the travel circuit as well, took the reins at Immaculata for his first season last spring. He quickly entrusted Glynn as his leadoff hitter and shortstop.
“Rileigh is a very coachable kid,” said Bury. “She wants to get better every day and is a pleasure to work with. I named her one of my captains. That tells you something.”
Bury believes Glynn’s speed will play well at the collegiate level.
“Rileigh puts pressure on a defense,” says Bury. “As you get older and mature as a player, the level of competition becomes all about pitching and defense. One thing that can control the game is speed. She pounds the ball into the ground as a lefty slapper. She’s a great singles hitter, gets on base a lot and steals bases. A walk for her is like a triple.”
And Bury sees Bucknell as a logical next stop for Glynn.
“I know she had thoughts of going south, but Bucknell is a good program and a good fit for her,” he said.
Glynn ratcheted up her game a couple more notches during a busy summer with the Aces Premier team.
“It was a good summer,” said Glynn. “We had a lot of tournaments and I had a lot of workouts with Parisi Speed School at Healthquest. I want to get stronger and faster. I’m definitely a better player.”
Glynn cherishes here trips around the nation with Finch’s Aces. Her team went to California two years ago and Glynn played this past summer in Colorado, Virginia Beach and Massachusetts. The team is playing in Missouri in a couple weeks.
“I’m working on picking up pitches better, particularly rise balls,” said Glynn.