There can be no argument in saying that 2024 Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Karleigh (Prestianni) Potter belongs on the short list of the all-time best ever to play third base in NCAA Division III softball history.
The four-time All-American already owns a place among Linfield’s top-5 all-time statistical performers in an eye-popping 14 different statistical categories. That includes a .437 career batting average, .513 on-base percentage and .809 slugging percentage, all of which currently rank third in program history.
Perhaps more impressive, the 2013 Linfield graduate stands among the top 25 players in Division III softball history in career hits (258), RBIs (225), home runs (52) and total bases (478).
During her four dominant seasons from 2010 until 2013, the Wildcats won 175 games while capturing the 2011 NCAA Division III national championship, claiming two national runner-up trophies and winning four Northwest Conference titles. Individually, Karleigh was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Finals. She was Linfield’s Rookie of the Year in 2010 and Most Valuable Player in 2013.
Coming out of Grants Pass High School, Karleigh says her sights were set squarely on joining Coach Jackson Vaughan’s winning program at Linfield. “My uncle Terry was a Linfield graduate and I was aware of the history and success of the softball program. I was very excited to be a part of that and hopefully make an impact right away.”
Coach Vaughan calls Karleigh “one of the top players to ever come through our program and all of Division III softball. She’s a tremendous all-around player with both a high average and power. She started almost every game of her career at third base. Without question, Karleigh is very deserving of Hall of Fame recognition.”
As a freshman, Karleigh was thrust into a starting role and produced immediately, helping the Wildcats reach the NCAA championship game. That year, she hit .424 with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs on her way to first team NFCA All-America honors.
The following spring, Karleigh played a prominent role as part of arguably the best offensive team in Division III history. The Wildcats went 51-3 that season, hitting a Division III-record 103 home runs on the way to securing the program’s second national title in five seasons. Karleigh hit .416 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs and posted a near-perfect .982 fielding percentage.
In the national championship game against Christopher Newport, it was Karleigh’s sixth-inning home run that broke a 2-2 tie, effectively securing the championship for the Wildcats.
Looking back on that storybook season, Karleigh lists “beating PLU in the conference tournament, outscoring our opponents 49-0 at regionals, and losing to Texas-Tyler but being able to come back to beat them to make it to the championship,” among her season highlights. And, she says, “obviously hitting a home run to put us ahead in the national championship game stands out. It was such a blast being able to do that with my best friends!”
The next two seasons were nearly as impressive, totaling two more league championships, a regional championship, plus two first team All-America citations to cap it all off. The Wildcats went a combined 82-15 during her final two campaigns.
With so many hours invested in practices, games and road trips, it’s not surprising the work ethic of the Linfield “Catball” program becomes habitual.
Says Karleigh: “We didn't make it to three national championships by chance. It was all the hours we put in in the batting cage, the weight room, team building, and so on. That type of work ethic and teamwork is something I hope to instill in my own kids.”
Karleigh and her husband, Austin, were married in 2018 after a chance meeting at the Pendleton Roundup, which she was attending with several of her old Catball teammates.
Their oldest daughter, Wesleigh, is nearly 5 years old, and youngest daughter, Walker is 2½. The Potters enjoy camping, hunting, golfing and spending time with family and friends.
These days, Karleigh is a Senior Credit Analyst at Hampton Lumber Sales, where she’s worked since graduating from Linfield 11 years ago.
