MADISON- There’s a new name among the record books of the Bob Jones softball program.

Aubrie Lisenby, an Auburn signee and starting catcher for Bob Jones, now holds the record for most career homeruns after belting her first homer of the season in the fourth game of the 2021 schedule giving her 29 in her career with the Patriots moving her atop the list of career homers in team history. The previous mark of 28 was held by Sydney Booker, who graduated from Bob Jones in 2014 and played four years for the University of Alabama.

“It feels great,” said Lisenby about her setting the record. “This is not just for me, but the entire team.”

Whitney Deaver, in her fifth season as head coach of the Patriots, said Lisenby’s accomplishment doesn’t surprise her. She added, “She works hard and outworks others on the team. She is a perfectionist and has spent hours and hours hitting. She is very vocal and leads by example.”

The 5-foot-7, 140-pound Lisenby began playing softball at age six at Palmer Park in Madison. She has perfected her skills through years of efforts including receiving expert coaching from as far away as Atlanta. She has made the trek to the Georgia city every Sunday for the past two years to work with standout hitting coach Lincoln Martin. “He has taught me the correct techniques on generating power at the plate and to improve my bat speed,” added Lisenby.

The power also comes from extensive weight lifting workouts five to six days a week under the eyes of trainer Derrick Baudy of Huntsville.

In reality, Lisenby came within inches of setting the homerun record a year ago. She hit a long curving liner down the foul line at the foul pole for what looked like a dinger and the record. Umpires deemed the ball curved foul just prior to making the pole, thus keeping Lisenby from gathering in the record as a junior. It was right after that near record blast the season was shut down due to the pandemic. She has had to wait almost an entire year before being able to finally hit one out of the park for the record books.

For Lisenby success has not come without struggles. At the completion of her freshman season she had reconstruction shoulder surgery in Birmingham and was away from softball for 10 months. At the beginning of last season she suffered a fractured right wrist, but was able to play much of the 2020 campaign while having her wrist heal. With the schedule cut short, she was able to continue to heal in time for the summer league play to begin.

Lisenby has a 4.34 grade point average, which ranks her No. 34 among the senior class at Bob Jones and will study science upon arriving at Auburn with concentration on pre-med studies. She signed an athletic scholarship with the Tigers with her dream of playing college softball.
