It was tough at the time , but it was worth it because there's nothing that can replace the experience of being a collegiate athlete . So my recruitment process started about my sophomore year of high school . I kind of hit the COVID window , so a lot of coaches were getting super seniors back , and they weren't interested in bringing in any incoming freshmen .
It was my first Division I offer , and I committed really early my junior year , I believe , of high school . So It was a little bit different than a lot of other people's recruiting process , but just make sure that you go somewhere that you feel like you're at home , and that's what Youngstown State was for me . So why Youngstown State University ?
Therefore , I missed a lot of concerts and beach trips , and I missed a trip to Cancun with my friends because I had softball . But this was the time that I was getting better and getting recruited by college coaches . It was tough at the time , but it was worth it because there's nothing that can replace the experience of being a collegiate athlete .
So it's been something that's carried me a long way in the game of softball and I believe helped me get to the collegiate level . So some of the challenges I faced becoming a top prospect in my sport . It was missing a lot of fun time with my friends .
So some things I learned when I first began my college career is that once you come in , everybody is just as good as you . It's really important to be able to set yourself apart and you do that by hard work . It's one of the biggest things that I learned .
