After playing softball for the past eight years and baseball for the previous two, senior Alexis Echols is excited to continue her softball career in college.

Echols signed her National Letter of Intent to play with Rochester University’s softball team Thursday, Oct. 17.

While she is excited to play for the Warriors, Echols is sad to leave her high school teammates. She will see some familiar faces on the Rochester team, however.

“I love how competitive it (softball) is and the bond I’ve made with many of my teams,” Echols said. “I’m close with everyone on my school ball team and I’m going to be sad to leave them, but I am happy to be able to have the chance to play at Rochester with my new teammates and one of my travel softball friends.”

In addition to continuing her softball career at Rochester, Echols will pursue a degree in biology to become a physician’s assistant.

Junior Mackenzie Atkinson, teammate, believes Echols deserves to play at the college level because of her diligent attitude.

“She’s very hard working,” Atkinson said. “She stays after practices and still works on her hitting because that’s how she was able to compete at the varsity level.”

Atkinson feels Echols will make a great impact for her new team because of her leadership.

“She is a very encouraging teammate,” Atkinson said. “She holds teammates accountable when they aren’t giving 110 percent.”

The classroom environment at Rochester will benefit Echols’ educational experience.

“I took a campus visit and I really liked how one-on-one the classroom is and I liked the coach and teammates,” Echols said.

Echols is excited for the new experiences playing at Rochester will bring.

“I am most excited to bond with my new team, travel, and play the sport I love,” Echols said.

This story was updated Friday, Oct. 25, at 11:46 a.m. to fix errors in the university and mascot.