In the past three seasons, (2017-2019), varsity softball has had winning records, (17-10-1, 15-8-1 and 22-10). This winning culture has been set in the athletes throughout their journey in the softball program. With new coach Jared Miller, the team is looking to their seniors to help start this era of the program.
The team won the CIF Division I Championship in their 2017 season, but has met some challenges as they are coming up on their third coach in three years. Although the coaching change has been challenging for the team, three seniors stepped up and helped pave the path for committing during this stage of the softball program.
“My favorite memory from high school softball is my freshman year tryouts,” senior Megan Wilson said. “I was new to competitive softball and had never played travel before so I was very nervous, but everyone was super nice and helpful. The new players had to be partnered with the returners which was intimidating, but they all gave us tips and cheered for everyone. Overall, it was just such a great first experience.”
Committing to college is a challenging time for many high school athletes. From talking to coaches to receive offers to finding a school, it can be tough to navigate. Seniors Kennedy Jarrard, Megan Wilson and Zoe Nolte have all committed to college to play softball. During this process, the three seniors have each gathered some tips and advice they would give to a younger athlete going through this process.
“To someone starting the recruitment process I would advise them to make a list of what they want in a school and the team and to keep their options open,” Jarrard said. “Also players should play with passion and want every minute of it.”
Recruitment can be a long process and many varsity athletes start very early into high school. This can cause some doubts and lose faith in many athletes. Wilson’s advice to younger athletes highlights this.
“Trust the process,” Wilson said. “Nothing is going to happen right away, but if you keep putting in the work, you will get where you want to go. You will only get as much out of it as you put into it, so just keeping giving it your all and things will happen.”
Each senior found their respective colleges through searching long and hard. Below is a little insight into their colleges and why they decided on each of the colleges:
Kennedy Jarrard, Rider University
Rider University is a private university located in Lawrence Township, NJ. Jarrard found her home away from home after visiting the college in person.
“I picked Rider because when I went to visit, I loved the coach and the atmosphere of the team,” Jarrard said. “The location also made it stand out as it’s only an hour away from both New York City and Philadelphia.”
At Rider University, Jarrard will play shortstop, a position she has been playing since she was young. Her high school experience has helped to grow her love for the game and find her niche within the sport.
“The Carlsbad softball program has helped me strengthen my work ethic as I compete against my teammates daily,” Jarrard said. “I play shortstop, the position between second base and third base. A shortstop is a key communicator with the rest of the field and is responsible for covering for steals, cutting off from the outfield and fielding the ball.”
Megan Wilson, Occidental College
Occidental College is located in Los Angeles, CA. Even though it is relatively close to San Diego, Wilson is optimistic about the future she can build there.
“I picked Occidental because it’s a highly academic school which puts students before athletes,” Wilson said. “It has everything I am looking for in a school and the coaches are amazing. When I went on my official visit I got to sit in on a couple classes and the professors were amazing. At Oxy, they want to get to know you and build relationships to help you be successful.”
Wilson will be playing second base and outfield at Occidental College. Her insight into the recruitment process has given her the chance to see how important attitude is.
“Some advice for other athletes is that coaches look at your attitude and how you interact with other players more than everything else,” Wilson said. “Always keep a positive attitude and work as hard as you can and success will come to you. It will not be easy, but the harder you work, the more success you will have.”
Zoe Nolte, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Nolte has committed to play at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She found the middle ground of being away from home but not too far.
“The coaching staff, program goals and mentality [made my college standout], and UNLV has a postgraduate physical therapy program that I would like to apply to,” Nolte said.
At UNLV, Nolte will play outfield. Her four years on varsity softball has helped prepare her through learning from her coaches and many teammates.
“Have fun with everything [in high school] and appreciate every moment with your team and friends because high school flies by,” Nolte said. “Everything works out, you’ll end up at the college you’re meant to go to.”
Senior Zoe Nolte sits in the dugout at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Nolte will play outfield for the Rebels next season. Courtesy of Zoe Nolte.
