Softball | 5/8/2017 12:18:00 PM
Since I was very young, I was set on playing Division I softball. So when the opportunity came to play at Idaho State University, I was beyond ready. I remember coming Idaho State University four years ago in 2013 like it was last week. I was lucky enough to come in to ISU with one of my friends and teammate from home,
Kacie Burnett. I remember we were nervous coming into championship program where pretty much everyone on the team was about twice my size.
I quickly found out that my head coach at the time, Julie Wright ran the ISU program in a very intense yet productive manner. Right away we had 6 a.m. conditioning that was no joke. We jumped into a lifting program that would have me avoid stairs for weeks to come. The freshman were assigned eight hours of study hall in the basement of Turner Hall. My coach expected full effort in the classroom, weight room and on the field every day, all day. I didn't exactly realize what I had gotten myself into. I was so tired, sore, stressed and could not wait for winter break.
It wasn't until I got my first collegiate hit in a game at the Arizona State softball stadium that I realized exactly how blessed I was to be a part, and contribute to the success of Bengal softball. From then on, waking up at 6 a.m. got easier, taking extra reps after practice was a given and excellence in academics was very possible. I was given four years as a Division I and wanted to make the most of it.
After my freshman year my grades went up significantly, I knew exactly what I wanted to do as a career and how hard I needed to physically work to have success on the softball field for my team. What I learned from four years at ISU is that if you work hard in every aspect of life, good things are bound to happen. I wanted to strive to be a good softball player, student and most importantly a good person.
My junior season was rough for ISU softball. We were transitioning to a new coaching staff, our record wasn't typical for ISU softball and there was conflict within the team. I'm pretty sure a lot of people didn't expect me to come back for my senior year, but I did. I can honestly say that I am beyond happy that I came back to finish. The program gained a lot of new faces that I have been very blessed to play with and I really took on a role as a leader within a program with a lot young players.
I know the freshman were most likely feeling similarly to how I felt four years ago. When I was a freshman, there were the seniors who talked down to the "newbies" and then there was the seniors who took us under their wings and really made a difference in our adjustment to college. I wanted to be senior that all the freshman could go to for anything, could hang out with and respect.
With my final weeks in Pocatello, Idaho approaching, I feel excited, accomplished and of course a little saddened. What it means to be a college graduate is that I get the chance to do big things in the real world. Everything that I learned from being a student-athlete will absolutely translate my future success. I want to thank my parents for setting me up for success and for giving me the perfect balance of independence and support growing up. I want to thank my dad for showing the beauty of sports at an extremely young age. Now that I'll be a college graduate, I would loving nothing but to give back to the world of sports.
