Central Michigan University Athletics
Paige Sayler has shown tremendous resolve and commitment to the Chippewa softball program and has built a sterling off-the-field resumé.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
'She's Going to be a Rockstar After She Graduates'
2/4/2026 12:49:00 PM | Softball
Senior Paige Sayler stays the course through CMU softball career
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Paige Sayler can count on one hand the number of at-bats she has taken as a member of the Central Michigan softball team.
A senior outfielder from Dexter about to embark on her fourth year in the program, Sayler's off-field resumé is All-American.
• She is the Mid-American Conference representative in the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
• She is one of four Division I student-athletes on the NCAA's Softball Oversight Committee.
• She chairs the MAC Council of Student-Athletes.
• She is a CMU Leader Advancement Scholar as part of the university's Leadership Institute.
• She serves as the E-Board chair of Community Engagement on the CMU Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
A business management major, Sayler carries a 3.7 grade point average and is on track to graduate in April and then plans to enroll at Boston College to begin working toward a master's degree in sport administration.
'Phenomenal Human'
"There are players who come into our program who have a legacy based on what they've done on the field," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "Paige is going to leave here with a legacy with what she's done off the field. And to me, that's just as important as a stat line.
"She's a phenomenal human, someone that we'll consistently talk about after she leaves here. She has, senior leadership-wise, really taken over to guide our underclassmen and the rest of our players and continues to set the standard for what it means to be a Central Michigan Chippewa."
Sayler came to CMU out of Dexter High School as a pitcher/corner infielder. Playing time was hard to come by, but she came to realize that college is about so much more than the diamond and dirt, a bat and a ball.
Looking out from the dugout has given her an inward perspective, one that had been growing in her for years before she arrived at CMU, and one that she identified when Salmon and her assistants recruited her.
"It was so much more of the other values that our coaches believed in: you're going to leave here after four or five years and be a better person," Sayler said, paraphrasing the over-riding message she initially received from Salmon. "You're going to have a team around you that all has a common goal and common values."
Faith and Growth
Sayler's faith has always been part of her fiber. A church group trip to Puerto Rico in 2022 after her graduation from Dexter helped that bigger picture come into focus.
"We helped out at a small church," she said. "We made meals and painted the church and just did little tasks here and there for elderly people that couldn't do it."
That paralleled her continued growth at CMU, where she bonded with teammates through their common goal on the field and, just as importantly, their shared faith.
"I just kind of learned more about who I wanted to be," she said. "Being here and not playing, I think that was another part of me that I'd never really explored before. When I had my coaches tell me, 'OK, you're not necessarily playing, but we see you as a leader, we see that you have these qualities.'
"I was like, 'I don't know what that's like; how do I navigate this now?' I think that really kind of made me look inward a little bit more. What else? What am I here for? I think that my relationship with God has kind of made me realize that that is my whole purpose – not to be here to play softball … (but) show other people who you can be and the kind of person you can be."
Staying the Course
Sayler could have looked to the transfer portal after a year or two, as many do in this day and age of collegiate athletics, but playing time wasn't necessarily the end goal. Contributing in any way she could was.
And she has unquestionably proven to be a major asset in myriad other aspects.
"You know there are too many things going on here that were helping me grow in other ways to just get up and leave," she said. "And it was so much easier to come to terms with that because I had a community and I had a team and coaches that saw me as more than just a softball player. I think that's what helped me realize my value. If I didn't have teammates who cared about me, if I didn't have coaches who cared about me as a human, then I would not be here."
Paige Sayler's name won't be in the Chippewa record book when it's all said and done. But she will have left a legacy, both in the program and far beyond.
"I'm excited to see what she does in the future," Salmon said. "The type of things she's going to be able to do, the experiences she's going to have, and just what she'll be able to accomplish for our sport.
"You know, she's going to be a rock star after she graduates."
A senior outfielder from Dexter about to embark on her fourth year in the program, Sayler's off-field resumé is All-American.
• She is the Mid-American Conference representative in the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
• She is one of four Division I student-athletes on the NCAA's Softball Oversight Committee.
• She chairs the MAC Council of Student-Athletes.
• She is a CMU Leader Advancement Scholar as part of the university's Leadership Institute.
• She serves as the E-Board chair of Community Engagement on the CMU Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
A business management major, Sayler carries a 3.7 grade point average and is on track to graduate in April and then plans to enroll at Boston College to begin working toward a master's degree in sport administration.
'Phenomenal Human'
"There are players who come into our program who have a legacy based on what they've done on the field," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "Paige is going to leave here with a legacy with what she's done off the field. And to me, that's just as important as a stat line.
"She's a phenomenal human, someone that we'll consistently talk about after she leaves here. She has, senior leadership-wise, really taken over to guide our underclassmen and the rest of our players and continues to set the standard for what it means to be a Central Michigan Chippewa."
Sayler came to CMU out of Dexter High School as a pitcher/corner infielder. Playing time was hard to come by, but she came to realize that college is about so much more than the diamond and dirt, a bat and a ball.
Looking out from the dugout has given her an inward perspective, one that had been growing in her for years before she arrived at CMU, and one that she identified when Salmon and her assistants recruited her.
"It was so much more of the other values that our coaches believed in: you're going to leave here after four or five years and be a better person," Sayler said, paraphrasing the over-riding message she initially received from Salmon. "You're going to have a team around you that all has a common goal and common values."
Faith and Growth
Sayler's faith has always been part of her fiber. A church group trip to Puerto Rico in 2022 after her graduation from Dexter helped that bigger picture come into focus.
"We helped out at a small church," she said. "We made meals and painted the church and just did little tasks here and there for elderly people that couldn't do it."
That paralleled her continued growth at CMU, where she bonded with teammates through their common goal on the field and, just as importantly, their shared faith.
"I just kind of learned more about who I wanted to be," she said. "Being here and not playing, I think that was another part of me that I'd never really explored before. When I had my coaches tell me, 'OK, you're not necessarily playing, but we see you as a leader, we see that you have these qualities.'
"I was like, 'I don't know what that's like; how do I navigate this now?' I think that really kind of made me look inward a little bit more. What else? What am I here for? I think that my relationship with God has kind of made me realize that that is my whole purpose – not to be here to play softball … (but) show other people who you can be and the kind of person you can be."
Staying the Course
Sayler could have looked to the transfer portal after a year or two, as many do in this day and age of collegiate athletics, but playing time wasn't necessarily the end goal. Contributing in any way she could was.
And she has unquestionably proven to be a major asset in myriad other aspects.
"You know there are too many things going on here that were helping me grow in other ways to just get up and leave," she said. "And it was so much easier to come to terms with that because I had a community and I had a team and coaches that saw me as more than just a softball player. I think that's what helped me realize my value. If I didn't have teammates who cared about me, if I didn't have coaches who cared about me as a human, then I would not be here."
Paige Sayler's name won't be in the Chippewa record book when it's all said and done. But she will have left a legacy, both in the program and far beyond.
"I'm excited to see what she does in the future," Salmon said. "The type of things she's going to be able to do, the experiences she's going to have, and just what she'll be able to accomplish for our sport.
"You know, she's going to be a rock star after she graduates."
Players Mentioned
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