Four seniors ending RHS softball careers
Four seniors are finishing their softball careers at Ramona High School. Two will play in college next year. All four will continue their educations at four-year universities in the fall.
Courtney Fick and Tory Roberts are completing their fourth year on the Lady Bulldog varsity softball team. Both will play college softball.
Fick will be traveling to Southern Utah University, where she is getting an athletic and academic scholarship. She picked SUU for several reasons. She loves the town, Cedar City, Utah. She likes the size of the campus. It has a great criminal justice department and she will have a chance to compete for a starting job her frosh year.
Roberts will attend Princeton University in New Jersey. Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships, but she will be going out for the softball team. She chose Princeton because she wanted to attend an Ivy League school and wanted to continue her education on the East Coast. Her sister, Dana, is playing at Harvard and recently bought Tory a stuffed Tiger (Princeton’s mascot) with a Harvard shirt. The two will never play against each other in college.
“She tried to talk me out of going to Princeton at first, but she is happy that I made the decision,” said Tory, who plans on majoring in political science.
Hillary Roloff and Allie Ferguson will be attending Point Loma Nazarene University. Point Loma will be discontinuing its softball program. Both suffered injuries this season, which cut short their seasons.
Ferguson got a late start because she was recuperating from knee surgery. Roloff’s season was cut short when she injured her shoulder in a game and had to undergo shoulder surgery.
Roloff chose Point Loma because it is “small, close and friendly. It has a family environment. It is far enough away for independence but close enough to come home for visits.” Hillary plans to major in nursing.
Ferguson likes the Christian environment, the small school atmosphere and plans on having Roloff as a roommate. Both girls emphatically stated that they liked the school’s location (on the beach in Point Loma). Ferguson wants to major in liberal arts and become an elementary school teacher.
The four Ramona players are the epitome of the term student/athlete. Fick has a 3.86 grade point average. Roberts has a 4.59 GPA. Ferguson has a 3.76 GPA and Roloff has a 4.33 GPA.
Fick and Roberts specialized in softball at RHS. Roloff and Ferguson played softball and also were members of the RHS CIF championship volleyball team.
All four appreciate the parental support they have received.
“My parents (Karen Hess and Mike Roberts) have always held me to high standards but never pushed me,” said Roberts. “They have always been there.”
“My parents (Terry Fick, Kari Fick and stepmother Michelle Thomas) are big supporters,” said Fick. “They have done so much and have traveled to so many places to support me.”
“My parents (John and Peggy) have always been very supportive and involved in all of my endeavors,” said Roloff. “My dad has coached me several times. My mom cuts out all of the articles.”
“My parents (Melissa and Thomas) and grandparents have always supported me in a positive way,” said Ferguson. “My dad got me started playing softball.”
They all started playing softball at an early age. Fick, Roberts and Roloff started in T-ball at age 4 or 5 and Ferguson started late in life at 7.
All enjoyed their high school experience. All enjoyed the softball road trips to Las Vegas and all enjoyed attending the football games. They are regulars at most athletic events that they are not playing in. All went to the basketball games and all stop by the baseball games after their practices are done or on Saturdays.
Softball coach Mike Schuler suggested the idea for this article.
“These are four very special young ladies,” he said. “They are not only all leaders and great teammates. They are all great students. They are fun to coach. I will miss them. They are what coaching is all about.”
Assistant Coach Robin Brainard also had praise for the quartet. “As a group they are hardworking athletes and great leaders on the diamond and in the classroom. It was a pleasure coaching and teaching every one of them.”
All four student/athletes listed Brainard as one of their favorite teachers.
They said they have learned life lessons from playing softball.
“Practice hard and work hard and you might not achieve perfection, but it will definitely pay off,” said Fick.
“Remain dedicated,” said Roberts. “It is important to work hard and practice hard and with the support of your teammates you will be successful.”
“Sports have taught me how to be a leader and to be self-motivated and to work hard,” said Roloff. “Even when things don’t go your way, you can’t give up. Just keep working hard.”
“Teamwork is the most important thing that I have learned from sports.,” said Ferguson. “Being a part of a team and trying to achieve team goals helps you as an individual.”