Cayden Tullier Beats The Heat, Discovers Softball Passion

Cayden Tullier Cayden Tullier LA resisted her family's attempts to get her to play softball at first. The Louisiana native didn't like being out in the heat and humidity of the South. She preferred to keep playing basketball in a climate-controlled gym.

“My parents tried for a very long time to get me to play,” Tullier said. “Then, when I was about 11, I picked up a softball and I have yet to put it back down. I probably should have listened to my parents.”

Tullier, a 2026 recruit from Gonzales, Louisiana, doesn't intend to leave the field any time soon either. She has committed to play in college at Southeastern Louisiana University, a program that won 50 games last season and reached the NCAA regional final for the second straight year. Tullier has known SLU head coach Rick Fermin since she started playing.

“I think it was my best decision. I'm very excited for Southeastern,” Tullier said. “I'm looking forward to going there and doing big things hopefully.”

Tullier, a catcher, plays for East Ascension High and Louisiana Blazers Elite 18U. For high school, she is a two-time Offensive Player of the Year award winner, and has won multiple Defensive Player of the Year and Gold Glove awards.

She was selected to play for the USA U18 women's national team in 2024, getting the chance to practice in Oklahoma City and play games in Dallas.

“It was very fun. I got to play with some of the best players to ever play softball because we got to practice with the Olympic team,” Tullier said. “I'm standing at third base next to Jessi Warren, Savannah Janquish, and Sis Bates. It was awesome.”

Tullier's first position was shortstop. But at age 12, her team was having a rough tournament and her coach asked her to put the catching gear on.

“Since that time, I have yet to put down the catching gear. I'm a catcher, but my secondary position is mainly third base,” Tullier said. “I'm a third base, catcher, utility. I plan on going to college on the corner, but Coach Fremin said I can keep catching in my back pocket just in case.”

Tullier, who has tattoos on her forearm, bicep, shoulder, and chest honoring her grandparents and mother, attributes much of her success to one factor.

“My drive,” she said. “I almost want to rip your neck off. I'm not actually going to hurt anybody, but that's my mindset when I'm on the field or in the box. I'm very competitive. Almost everything is a competition for me.”

Tullier is a yell leader for her high school, standing in front of the student section and encouraging them to cheer at sporting events. She also works with special needs students at her school, and gives nearly 20 lessons a week to younger softball players.

“I love watching a kid start from ground zero and move up in their development,” she said. “It's almost like you take pride in that in a way, even though it's all them learning the game. I enjoy helping them enjoy the game.”

It's not lost on Tullier that despite her reservations about playing in the heat, she chose the position where the impact of the heat is the most grueling. She finishes games with her catching gear drenched in sweat, yet still has a smile on her face.

“I sucked it up one day, and the heat was nothing compared to the fun of the game and everything else about the sport,” she said.