“Softball is a game of failure. You’re going to fail more than you succeed, so you can’t let that failure bring you down. You have to just learn from it and reevaluate each time you fail and see what you can improve on.

On specific days I work on specific things because I’m a catcher, a specialized position in softball, so I have to work that into my day. I spend 30 minutes to an hour hitting every day, do couple fielding drills, a couple catching drills and then I’ll go and work out either on my own or with a trainer. But it really depends on the day. One day I’ll focus mainly on hitting, or one day I’ll focus mainly on catching. I make sure I do a little something every single day, just to make sure I consistently keep my skills at an elite level.

I probably spend eight to nine hours on softball a week. With working out and training, I can add on probably a couple hours. I definitely put a lot of my time into softball.

I committed to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for softball, and my recruiting process was very long and different. I started the recruiting process at the beginning of sophomore year, but I had been told about it since eighth grade. Usually, people strive for bigger schools, or they are happy to go anywhere just to play their sport. I only wanted a couple of specific schools: Emory, Washington University in St. Louis and a few other high academic schools. I didn’t want to play at the Division 1 level, because I wanted to go pre-med. So I knew that if I were to go play at that level, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to pursue pre-med and become a doctor. So, I really got lucky.

I went to an Emory camp on the weekend of December 6-8, 2024, and that was the first camp that I had been to in a long time. Camps are a big thing in recruiting. The camp was all day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was very long, but it was a good experience. I got to show off all my skills in every single part of the sport but also get a campus tour. Everybody was super nice, and I got to meet a lot of people from around the country.

A week or two after the camp, I had a call with a coach. She offered me way, way early, so I got really lucky. I guess I got my dream school.

I was actually speechless for the first time in my entire life. I was freaking out.

When she called me, she explained that Emory doesn’t usually offer people this early due to the high academics at the school. They have to wait for transcripts. But they just told me, ‘We trust that you’re going to have the right grades. We’re going to offer you,’ and I was literally speechless. I started crying. Then the next week, I committed.

My mom was in the room while I was calling the coach. I was literally having a panic attack. But I obviously told my immediate family, like my dad and my siblings. After that, we had a family function coming up the next week. So, I waited to say anything until everybody was all in the same room at the same time, and I announced it to my cousins and grandparents. It was crazy, but it was great timing.

Emory was the school that I wanted to go to because it was in a big city. It was still in the south, which was very important to me, because of the connections that you can get, and what they offer; they have Emory hospital on campus, and they’re right next to the CDC.

It’s also only one flight from home, and it’s very easy to get there. It has the academics that I wanted, so that’s why I chose Emory.

I recently went on my official visit, which is where the people who are committed to a sport go up, and then they spend time with the team, take photos and get to know each other. I did meet my future teammates and the girl that’s going to join the team with me next year.

Everyone’s recruiting process is different, so someone else having more success than you earlier doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough. Consistency is key. As long as you stay consistent with your work and your drive, you’ll get to where you want to be. 

I’m excited to get out of Houston, meet new people, be challenged in ways that I haven’t been challenged yet and find a new family within my softball team at Emory.

Emory has an all-female coaching staff, which is great. I’ve always loved that. They understand that screaming at girls all the time isn’t going to help us in any way, and I like the vibes they give off, they’re very nice.

When you’re doing recruiting, the coaches are trying to sell themselves to you. They’re going to put on a pretty face, but their true personalities do show. When I was talking to coaches, their true colors stayed the same from what they initially seemed like.

It’s scary because it’s a big change. You’re moving on from your life, but that’s with every college. I hope to bring some good vibes to the team, try to be the hype man, try to keep everybody’s heads up even after they fail and just try to have a good time all the time.

When you commit to a school, make sure you commit to the school that you know you would be happy at without softball, because the program could fall apart. Coaches move all the time, and you want to make sure you go to a school that you can be happy at without your sport and still succeed with the right academics and programs for you for your future. Softball ends someday, but your future does not. That’s really what matters.”