Choosing your path

Today, Wednesday, June 2nd, at 2:00 PM PST, we will be watching the NAIA World Series championship game on ESPN3. Oregon Tech is playing Southern Oregon in the Championship game. Tthe Owls victory over College of Idaho in the winner's bracket secured their spot in the championship game.

Playing for Oregon Tech is freshman 2B Krista Ward from Vacaville, CA. Krista is having a phenomenal season, hitting .331 with 9 home runs and 40 RBI, for a team that has won 48 games this year. Krista started all 56 games Oregon Tech has played, and is hitting 5th in a stacked line-up. Not only are those numbers all really good, but they are awesome for a freshman.

As you can probably guess, Krista is an OnDeck girl. Her dad, Trevor, pitches for us at some events. Krista came to the 2017 Colorado Jamboree and the 2018 Hemet Jamboree. She was a 2* prospect who could have played D1, but found a different path to success. She chose Oregon Tech, a beautiful school in Klamath Falls, Oregon with an enrollment of 5,341 students and just over 230 student athletes in 10 sports. She is majoring in Biology & Health Sciences.

Trevor said his daughter is having the time of her life right now. She loves the school. She loves the environment. She loves her team. And she is having a really good year on the field.

So often in the softball world we get caught up in the DI path. We think it is all about the power 5 schools. And while those are all fabulous schools with great programs and great coaches, there are also hidden gems out there that could be the perfect fit for you.

Think about it. Wouldn’t you want to go to school on scholarship . . . win 48 games as a freshman . . . start every game . . . hit .331 with 9 HRs and 40 RBI . . . go to post-season . . . play in a World Series.

Well, Krista’s story is a pretty good story. In fact it is a great story. We say all the time, while it is awesome to dream about playing in the DI WCWS, it is also awesome to be playing in the NAIA WCWS. Memories are made. Teammates become life long friends. The key is connected to finding your own path. Choosing the path that is right for you. If you do that, success will follow. And that is all any of us can really ask for.