Danny Federico
editor@riverbendnews.org
On opening day, as baseball and softball seasons began again, the Branford community made sure one of its own would always remain part of the game.
On Saturday, March 14, the Branford Babe Ruth League dedicated Field 1 of Hatch Park in memory of Cloey Criggall, a 2025 Branford High School graduate whose love for softball, kindness toward others and lasting impact on the community continue to be felt months after her tragic passing in November. The Town of Branford also issued a proclamation declaring the day of 2026 Branford Babe Ruth Opening Day in honor of Criggall.
For Criggall’s family, the moment was both deeply emotional and meaningful. “Having Field 1 named after Cloey means more than words can truly express,” her mother, Casey Estep, said. “It is such a deep honor for our family, but also a source of comfort.”
Estep said the field represents a place where Criggall “felt alive,” where she built friendships and poured her heart into the game she loved. Knowing her name will remain on a field filled with young athletes chasing their dreams, she said, means “a piece of her will always be there.”
Those who knew Criggall describe her as far more than a standout athlete.
“Cloey was the kind of person who made everyone feel like they belonged,” Estep said. “She had a heart that was bigger than anything else. She was kind, genuine and full of love.”
That same warmth followed her onto the field. Estep said softball was more than a sport to her daughter — it was “her passion and her outlet,” a place where she found confidence, joy and purpose. What Criggall loved most, she said, was not just the competition but the relationships, the teammates who became her people, and the feeling of being part of something bigger than herself.
Criggall’s softball story began early. According to her family, she began playing the sport at age 7, earned a varsity role at Branford High School as a seventh-grader, maintained a 3.8 grade-point average and balanced school with demanding practice and workout schedules. She later signed to continue her softball career at the University of West Florida (UWF), fulfilling a dream she had carried for years. In her own words, playing at the next level “has been my dream since I knew how to throw and swing a bat.”
Branford Babe Ruth League Softball Commissioner Nicole Keen said naming the field after Criggall felt natural because her impact reached far beyond her own age group.
“In the softball community, and in Branford as a whole, Cloey’s name is well known throughout our community,” Keen said.
She noted Criggall inspired younger players and stayed involved with recreational athletes, including during varsity night events that brought league players to the high school field. Criggall, herself, also grew up in the recreation league.
Keen said the league hopes the dedication offers healing for Criggall’s family while also challenging young athletes to follow her example.
“If everybody who grows up around here aspires to play like Cloey, we will have the best players around,” Keen said. “Cloey was just one of a kind. There was nobody like her.”
The effort to honor Criggall was a community initiative. Keen said the Babe Ruth board came together and decided it wanted to name the field after Criggall. Keen designed the sign, worked with Dustin Leighton, owner of Catfish Customs Fabrication and Powdercoating, to bring it to life, and met with Criggall’s parents to choose the final design together.
Even the town's proclamation came as a surprise.
Keen said the Town of Branford wanted to show how much Criggall meant not only to softball but to the town as a whole.
“Even the people at Town Hall and the mayor, they knew her name, and they knew what an impact she had in this community,” she said.
For Branford High School softball coach Oscar Saavedra, Criggall’s impact on the Buccaneer program is still visible.
“I remember Cloey as the kind of player who brought heart to everything she did,” Saavedra said. “She wasn’t just talented; she was dependable. The kind of teammate you trusted in big moments because you knew she’d give everything she had.”
Saavedra said Criggall also helped shape the program’s identity — its work ethic, sense of family and the standard for what it means to wear a Branford jersey.
“Younger players watched how she carried herself and followed her lead,” he said. “She didn’t just play the game; she helped build the culture.”
He described her as a steady, positive presence whose leadership never had to be loud to be felt.
“Cloey didn’t need to be loud to be a leader — her effort, her heart and her character spoke for her,” Saavedra said.
Seeing her graduate and prepare to continue her career at UWF, he added, was a proud moment not only for Criggall but for the entire Branford softball community.
Now, those who loved her hope every player who steps onto Cloey Criggall Field takes something meaningful from the name attached to it.
Estep said she hopes young players remember “to play with heart, to be kind, to lift each other up,” and to understand that how they treat people matters just as much as how they play the game.
Keen echoed those words, saying she hopes athletes who see Criggall’s name will learn her story and strive to be the kind of player — and person — she was.
For Criggall’s family, that is the heart of the legacy she leaves behind.
“Cloey’s legacy is love,” Estep said. “Through every player who steps on that field, every act of kindness, and every memory shared, Cloey is still making a difference.”
That legacy is also being carried forward through the Cloey Criggall Softball Scholarship, which will be awarded to high school seniors throughout Suwannee County who embody her passion, dedication and leadership. A $750 scholarship will be awarded to one graduating male and one graduating female from the county. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Thursday, April 9.
To learn more about Criggall’s legacy or to apply for the Cloey Criggall Softball Scholarship, visit www.cloeycriggall.com.