Photo courtesy of Andrew McBride
Sammi Woods, who appeared in all 57 of Maryland softball’s games as a freshman and finished second in the Big Ten in assists, is a no-doubt star for the Terps. But her talents aren’t limited to softball. Her canon of an arm and unmatched field vision also help her out on the football field.
“It actually all started when my mom introduced me to this competition called punt pass and kick when I was nine,” Woods said. “I wound up winning every one and eventually winning nationals, and I was like woah, this is fun, and I started playing in a league with my all-girls softball team after that.”
After Woods fell in love, her parents worked with the Matt Leinart Friday Night Lights League in California to create the league’s first all-girls team for Woods’ softball squad. But Woods’ dad and the team’s coach, Terry Woods, saw that a lot of work needed to be done.
“The first practice — it was really funny — these were all softball players that were really good, really athletic for nine years old. You put them on a football field, and you realize they do not know the first thing about the rules of the game.” Terry Woods said. “So from a coaching perspective, it was teaching them about the line of scrimmage. I will never forget the first play somebody caught the ball and instead of getting tackled they threw it again and I was like ‘Ok, we can not do that’.”
Once Sammi Woods and her team got rolling, they put the whole league on notice, when they beat an all-boys team in their fourth game of the season. From there, Sammi Woods took her football skills to a different level.
After playing throughout high school and each summer for Matt Leinart Flag Football, Sammi Woods became a stud quarterback. She was invited to the Elite-11 Quarterback Camp in Las Vegas in recognition of her talent.
“I heard some things about how huge the Elite-11 camp was for five-star quarterbacks in high school, and I was like ‘Oh, this is kind of cool how they are letting girls come in’, which should have been done earlier but it was awesome that I got to participate in it anyways,” Sammi Woods said. “I ended up doing the drills, meeting Devin Gardner which was cool, and I got MVP somehow which was awesome.”
Being a star athlete in two sports has its perks. But it does not come without negatives for Sammi Woods.
“I am super passionate about football and softball, but having to tone down that passion for football because I made a huge commitment for softball, it is really tough.” Sammi Woods said.
Regardless of the obstacles Sammi Woods faces while juggling both sports, her experience in flag football pays off when she takes her position at shortstop.
“Because I was a quarterback in high school, I think reading the field helps in every sport ever, especially softball,” Sammi Woods said. “I catch myself having little reactions to somebody hitting the ball and it was just the reaction of the bat angle and me going up the middle rather than staying on my heels.”
Although she has undeniable skills in both sports, Sammi Woods’ football skill set convinced her father that if the all-girls softball revolution started sooner, she would be in a different uniform.
“My only regret is that I wish it would have happened four years earlier for her, because if it did, I honestly do not know if she would be playing softball,” Terry Woods said. “I think she would have made the change because she loves the sport so much.”
Sammi Woods plans to use her football skills to reach the peak of flag football, something she has been striving for her whole career.
“It is official that flag football for both women’s and men’s will be in the 2028 Olympics, so obviously I am missing the trials this weekend,” Sammi Woods said. “But after softball is done I will be able to make the trials and hopefully get on the team and play in the Olympics, which would be my ultimate goal and my dream.”
