Sometimes dreams seem to come true rather quickly, and other times it takes a lot of hard work to make them happen. Righetti High School senior Katie Barbarick, dreamed of playing college softball since she was a young girl. She dedicated years to making her dream a reality, and recently it came true when Barbarick signed a letter of intent Nov. 13 to play softball at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., next year.
“I am looking forward to representing our school on the East Coast,” Barbarick said in a press release. “I am very excited to be given the privilege to continue my education and softball career at Holy Cross,” she said in a statement.
Barbarick credited her coach Tracy Davis for pushing her to improve and excel, and her family for being devoted to helping her pursue her dreams.
She called receiving her scholarship her biggest athletic achievement and something she wanted to do since she began playing club softball when she was 13 years old.
Though she started club ball as a teen, Barbarick first began playing softball at the age of 9. She was immediately put in the position of pitcher. “I had never even played softball before,” she said.
Fortunately, pitching came somewhat naturally for her, she said. But it’s been a hard road, she added. She often practices between 12 and 15 hours a week. On weekends she has tournaments. “I mostly go to school, do homework, and play softball. It’s a big part of my life,” she said.
And if she isn’t pitching in a game, she’s practicing, or getting in shape for pitching. Needless to say, there isn’t much time for anything else, though she has played volleyball and varsity basketball for Righetti.
She said she enjoys the pure competition of her role in the game.
“I really enjoy pitching. I think it’s because it’s so one-on-one with the batter,” she said. “It’s my best pitch against your best swing.”
Barbarick said she’d love to continue playing softball as a career beyond college, however, that’s a pretty grand dream that only few people actually get to fulfill, she said. But life after college is still a few years off and she’s ready to commit to the here and now. “If I only ever get to play softball in college and then go on to do something else, I’ll be happy with that,” she said.
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2015.
