Orangefield seniors Emma Humplik and Olivia Grant made it official Wednesday in front of a large crowd of friends, family and teammates, that they will be playing college softball.
Humplik, the Bobcats catcher since her freshman year, will play for the University of South Florida located in Tampa. The Lady Bulls were 16-9 last season before Covid-19 shut them down. They’ve been to the NCAA Tournament 15 times since 1996.
Grant, an infielder since her freshman year, will play for Navarro College in Corsicana. The Lady Bulldogs were 11-11 before the coronavirus ended their season. There’s only been two seasons since 2001 where they weren’t NJCAA ranked at seasons end.
Grant and Humplik have been on every All-District and All-KOGT Team. Head Coach Rebekah Ragsdale shed a few tears trying to talk about the pair. “They put Orangefield softball on the map,” she said. “They are both a coach’s dream. They hit, they dive for ground balls, and they’re always working to get better.”
Hopefully the two still have some special moments left in the Orange and White. Corona willing, the first day of practice for the school is January 22. You can bet both have already been in the batting cage.
-Gary Stelly,KOGT-
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