Elizabeth Hightower Goes  Pro

Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Former Aucilla Christian Academy (ACA) softball standout, Elizabeth Hightower has decided it’s not quite time to hang up her cleats and glove just yet. Even though her softball career at the University of Florida has come to a close, she is still able to play the game she has loved for so many years.
During her playing career with the Gators, Hightower, a right-handed pitcher, had an earned-run average (ERA) of 2.46 and tallied a total of 427 strikeouts on the mound. A five-year letter winner with the Gators, she made 136 appearances in the circle, including 100 starts. She compiled a record of 57-29 with the Gators. Her most successful season with the Gators was her junior season, when she earned First-team inclusion on the National Fast-pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Southeast Region and a spot on the 2021 NFCA All-America Team. During that junior year, Hightower had a 17-6 record (her second straight 17-win season) and a 1.61 ERA. During her first career start with the Gators, she registered a career-high 10 strikeouts against Utah State. She also received Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Honor Roll distinction three times.
On Friday, June 2, Hightower signed to play softball on the professional level with the Athletes Unlimited (AU) professional softball program. AU is a fairly new league and a new concept in professional sports. The league gives the athletes much more autonomy than other professional leagues. The players’ teams don’t represent any particular city. The teams change frequently during the year, with teams holding drafts throughout the year. Individual players are awarded points based on both individual performance and team performance during games. The games take place in Rockford, Ill., near Chicago. Selection of Team Captains is based on point totals for those individual players. There are currently 42 players from across the country in the AU league. For more information on AU sports and to follow Hightower’s professional career with AU, visit the league’s website at auprosports.com.
In an interview with Alyssa Britton-Harr, of the Independent Florida Alligator, Hightower remembered the people who have helped her journey along the way. “The impact that people have made on me is just when it all ended, I wasn’t really missing softball,” said Hightower. “I was just missing the people.”
Hightower has also accepted a graduate assistantship to coach at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton, Fla.
Hightower graduated for the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology in 2021 and completed a certificate in sports management in 2023.
She is the daughter of James and Gretna Hightower, of Monticello.