If at first you don’t succeed, try harder.

About six years ago, Santa Fe senior Amy Crosby couldn’t bunt and she couldn’t hit, according to personal hitting coach Stewart Strickland.

“She could hardly hold the bat,” he said. “She was very uncoordinated.”

Crosby agreed.

“I was terrible,” she said with a laugh. “My righty swing was terrible. I was a fast runner. He always believed in me. I don’t know how he believed in me. I didn’t believe in myself.”

Crosby, who throws right, switched to the left-hand side of the plate because of her speed.

“She’s always been able to run,” Strickland said. “She worked really hard at her swing and to be honest with you, I’ve been coaching quite a while and she probably has the best-looking swing that I’ve ever coached, which says a lot. Her mechanics are very, very sound.”

All of that hard work paid off on Tuesday when she signed her letter of intent to play softball at the College of Central Florida in Ocala.

Over the last three years with the Raiders, she has batted .412 with an on base percentage (OBP) of .505, a .502 slugging percentage, and 23 stolen bases.

Since 2021, Santa Fe has scored 491 runs. Crosby was a part of 115 of those runs.

She’s not only a very hard worker on the field but also in the classroom, where she carries a weighted GPA of 3.689.

Crosby, who projects to play center field at the next level, has a .845 fielding percentage over three years despite being asked to play multiple positions.

“She’s very athletic, she’s very aggressive,” said Santa Fe coach Gene Findley. “Outfield she’s through the roof. She’s really, really aggressive in the field chasing the ball down…she’s a very athletic girl and she wants to be the best at whatever she does.”

Crosby, a 2023 Mainstreet Daily News All Area selection, batted .493 with a team-leading 33 runs and five triples. Her .706 slugging percentage was second on the team and she was third with a .557 OBP.

She had a .911 fielding percentage last year for the Raiders (16-10).

“Last year she was really impressive, and at multiple positions,” Findley said. “She’s caught for me, she’s played shortstop, she’s played second, played outfield, so she kind of bounces around and doesn’t complain. She goes out and gives me 100%. She’s a very hard worker.”

The senior will play a vital role this spring for the Raiders and she’s looking forward to the competition, especially the sibling rivalry she has on the diamond.

Her sister, Madie, was second on the Raiders with a .583 on base percentage. She batted .524 last year as a sophomore and earned a spot on the All Area team with her big sister.

“I couldn’t let me sister beat me,” the elder Crosby said. “We always placed a bet for each game…I don’t like to lose.”

The competition with her sister pushed them both.

“It’s fun to sit back and watch because they do compete with each other,” Findley said. “And they’re both very athletic.”

Family has served as a great motivator throughout her career.

Her mom, Paulette Crosby, passed away due to breast cancer about two years ago during Amy’s sophomore year.

“I struggled for a little bit, I went into a slump, a bad mindset,” she said. “Then I just realized…maybe I should use this anger and all of this other stuff, or whatever, motivation. It made me better as a player because I know she would want me to do big things.”

The unspoken leader said her mom’s passing “motivated me a lot more and to work harder.”

“I know making her proud was the biggest thing,” she said.

Findley said, “She’s really playing her game” now.

“I’m very happy for her to go to the next level,” he said. “Where she is going is a very good program so that’s going to be good for her. That’s a good mix.”

Before she heads off to COCF, she has some unfinished business in the red and gray.

In 2023, Santa Fe advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs, falling 5-2 at top seed Hernando (Brooksville) in the 3A-Region 2 Semifinals.

“We plan to go a little further, hopefully all of the way because that’s our goal but at the end of the day, all of the kids last year are a little bit older but her especially being a senior, we’re going to expect her to lead more even though she’s not very vocal, but she can lead us on the field.”