By Shelley Bennett
All eyes were on senior Katie Marsh last Wednesday as she signed her national letter of intent to play softball at Sacramento State. With her signature, Katie accepted a scholarship offer to compete at the Division one collegiate level, something only four other Lassen graduates have done, according to coach Paul Moore.
Moore also took the time to praise Katie for being a mentor to younger ball players, noted her homerun record last season, and taught her the “Stingers Up” gesture adopted by Sac State fans.
Katie’s dad Jon expressed his pride for Katie’s hard work and dedication paying off with this exciting opportunity. Both Jon and Katie’s mom Heather were overcome with emotions while witnessing the signing and from the support of friends and family filling the room.
Katie addressed the crowd with thanks for all of those who were there and recognizing her parents, family members, friend, teammates, and coaches who helped her along the way. In a heartfelt message to her 10-year old self, she reminded a younger Katie that all the hours in the batting cage and traveling from tournament to tournament would be worth it in the end.
When I had a chance to speak with Katie, she said that as competitive softball player most of your weekends and school breaks become travel ball tournaments. She recalled all of the trips she took last summer, including Texas, Utah, and Southern California and said that even though she is busy playing softball, she considers these trips to be vacations because she gets to see so much more than just the softball field.
Katie said she chose Sac State because it is close to family, has a beautiful campus, and great coaches she is looking forward to playing for.
Good luck Katie! Your hometown is rooting for you!
In other news, Happy Anniversary to me as the writer of “The Good Stuff”! Writing something new every week has helped me understand what my students do for me every day. Some weeks it’s easy and I have it all planned ahead, some weeks it’s not and I don’t know what I’m going to write about until I sit down and start.
It’s also made me think about the positive and reflect on what these events, people, and place mean to me. I’m a big fan of Susanville and Lassen County and appreciate it even more.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the feedback. From Jane Voss’ sweet comments every week to emails from former citizens who knew my grandparents way back when. I’m still open to reporting YOUR good stuff, so let me know what is happening in your life from graduations to weddings, new babies to engagement and all the social events in between.
Thank you to Jeremy for encouraging and believing in me. And to Marshel for the cards and gifts and just making me feel special. The two of you are truly the “good stuff.”
Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to [email protected] and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”
