By Brianna Tong & Tyler Lau
Sports Editor & Staff Writer
Kassandra Gewecke
PHOTO COURTESY/ Kassandra Gewecke Gewecke tried out the Ohio State softball uniforms during her visit from Sept. 17 to 18, when she toured Ohio State’s campus, including the academic performance center, softball field and indoor athletic facilities.
Staring intently at her target through her face guard, junior softball pitcher Kassandra Gewecke plants her foot into the dirt and winds up. With a quick burst of speed, power and precision, Gewecke surges forward to deliver her changeup, finding the back of the catcher’s glove. Strike.
Gewecke announced her commitment to Ohio State University on Oct. 18, receiving a scholarship to play for the Buckeyes softball team in the 2024-2025 season.
“At Ohio State, I really like the sports culture and the culture of the softball program,” Gewecke said. “They have a good team, good coaches, good players and it’s a fun place to go to school. When you go to Ohio State, you’re a Buckeye for life, so it’s forever a part of your personality and I think that’s important.”
While deciding to commit to a university, Gewecke considered many factors including campus life and education when visiting the Ohio State campus.
“It was important to click well with the coaches and the players,” Gewecke said. “I got to talk to the players when I visited, and we got along well. I knew that this was going to be a good place for me, considering the atmosphere and the people I was able to meet.”
Inspired by her parents, Gewecke began her softball journey at the age of five playing in the Arcadia Girls Softball Association. Four years later, she began to play for a club team, the Corona Angels. At the age of 14, Gewecke and her club team won the Alliance 14U Tier 1 National Championship in 2021.
In the 2021-2022 season, varsity softball went undefeated in the Rio Hondo League, claiming their second consecutive league title. They advanced to the CIF playoffs, becoming CIF Division 4 Champions and CIF State Southern California Regional finalists.
“This year, we’re going to move up divisions so the teams will be better,” Gewecke said. “It should be pretty competitive, but we have a pretty good team this year.”
Varsity softball looks to continue their streak and defend their Rio Hondo League title.
“It’s important to love the sport that you’re playing,” Gewecke said. “That’s what helped me get this far. There’s a lot of work involved, but if you love what you’re doing, it makes it a lot easier.”
Samantha Womack
PHOTO COURTESY/ Samantha Womack “I am super excited! I don’t really think I can express just how stoked I am to play D1 in college. Cause like this is everything I have worked so hard for and has been my dream forever,” Womack said. “So now that it’s actually happening it’s so awesome and unbelievable. I can’t wait!”
The sun shines down brightly on junior Samantha Womack as she crouches behind the home plate, anticipating a fastball from her pitcher. Her eyes trained on the ball that moves swiftly towards her, she catches it with a pop of the glove and hears the cheers from her teammates behind her as the batter strikes out.
Womack verbally committed to playing Division I Softball at the University of California, San Diego where she will further her athletic and academic career.
“I have been looking at UCSD for a long time and I like it because it checks all my boxes,” Womack said. “They are one of the top softball schools and the coaches are really awesome and I talk to them a bunch.”
The junior also recently received offers from Amherst College, West Texas A&M and the University of Central Florida.
Womack’s passion for the sport developed at the age of 8 years old when she first played for the Temple City Little League. The rush of being on the field and the adrenaline from being up to bat excites her.
Playing the position of both catcher and center fielder for the girls softball team, Womack has been able to hone her leadership skills as she is active with her teammates both on the infield and outfield. Womack’s high situational awareness allows her to thrive in any given situation by knowing how to respond to a play while communicating that knowledge to her teammates.
“I like playing with my school friends. It’s definitely laid back and fun, but I also like pushing myself for the records you can get here,” said Womack. “We have a good team, so it’s fun to go out there and just play.”
Currently, Womack plays with her travel ball team, the Southern California Athletics Aspeitia, based out of Arcadia. The Premier Girls Fastpitch Nationals invited Womack and her team to their tournament in Huntington Beach after she traveled with her team to Colorado this past summer. The team regularly travels to Las Vegas and Arizona for seasonal tournaments and competes locally all throughout the year.
In order to stay in shape for the season, Womack practices with her travel team every Wednesday and plays for the girls soccer team, where she is able to practice strength and conditioning for her softball season in the spring. When she does not have team practices, she maintains a personal schedule that consists of hitting on her own and catching.
Womack finds that the most significant challenge that she faces in softball is when she hits a slump. But the resilience she obtained with years of experience makes her a stronger athlete, ready to face any challenge that may fall in her path.
“I definitely had to go through a big challenge with myself through finding the confidence within myself that I can do this,” Womack said. “Once you find that confidence in yourself, you can take your game to the next level and perform really well.”