Alison Deville knew that she always wanted to wear LOUISIANA across her chest — ever since that day she sat in the stands inside Lamson Park with her mother and watched Ashley Brignac pitch for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
So even though Deville, a star pitcher at nearby Port Barre High, had a few other scholarship offers on the table which would have likely given her more playing time, Deville found inspiration during her official UL visit to being part of something bigger than herself.
“At the time I was getting recruited by a few difference schools but most of them were small,” Deville said. “This was the biggest school that had have offered me. There was a sign in the weight room that read ‘do you want to be a big part of something small, or a small part of something big’ and that sign is when I made my decision to come here.”
Deville’s impact on the field may have been minimal for the first few years but this season the Cajuns redshirt senior relief pitcher has broken though with career highs in games played (11) and innings pitched (11). In fact, those totals more than exceed her career totals from the previous three seasons combined.
“Allison has not played significant minutes throughout her career,” UL second-year head coach Gerry Glasco said. “She is a phenomenal example of a kid that keeps working hard and has gotten so much better and now has become a critical piece of our bullpen. But it is her positive attitude that is even more impressive.”
That positive attitude aided Deville as she made the transition from high school star to rarely-used collegiate player.
Deville was an all-state pitcher, and five-time all-district honoree, for the Red Devils and she helped her high school team win back-to-back district championships in 2013-14.
“I knew I needed a lot o work,” Deville said. “I knew that I was going to come in and redshirt and that I was behind the other girls. I started pitching really late compared to the other girls and wasn’t as developed as I should have been. So I put my blinders up and got to work to become a better pitcher.
“I am not going to lie and say that it wasn’t hard because it was,” Deville added. “But I had to remember that my journey is my own. Luckily when I had bad days where I was down on myself I had some great teammates that picked me up and those girls kept cheering me on every day.”
With the help of older players such as Shellie Landry, Macey Smith and Alex Stewart, Deville learned and embraced her role as a “small piece of the puzzle” within the Ragin’ Cajuns program. In the seasons since then, Deville has taken on that mentor role or “team mom” role with the younger players — specifically the ones that may not get their game day uniforms dirty.
“I know the journey gets hard for those girls that you don’t hear about it and don’t see,” said Deville, who has earned Academic Honor Roll honors twice. “I always make sure to reach out to them just like the girls did before me. Every time we win it is not a win for those who only played on the field but it is a win for the whole team and everyone has somehow contributed to it.”
That selflessness has not gone unnoticed and today during Senior Day against Coastal Carolina at Lamson Park, Deville will take the circle for her first ever collegiate start.
“I am very much looking forward to it,” Deville said. “Coach said I am getting my first career start and its been a long time coming. I’ve got a lot of anticipation and things I need to get out in this one game.”
So is the former small role player nervous about her big moment? Not really.
“I found when the appearances were few and far between in past years that there was a lot of time to anticipate and stress over,” Deville said. “Those appearances meant so much more and put more pressure on myself because of that.
“With me playing more this year, I am just going out there with the thought process that this might be my last game,” Deville added. “I am far more relaxed and I am just having so much fun playing for this team. I am loving every moment.”