Jannessa Reece '21 Recruiting Profile

Coming into a previously successful Kokomo High School program my freshman year I knew I had big shoes to fill. All of the girls I was competing for spots against had begun playing softball when they were 3 and 4 but I hadn’t started until I was 12 due to playing baseball until then. The transition from baseball to softball was extremely difficult for me. Playing on a team of girls required a completely different mindset and outlook on the game from playing on a team of boys. At the beginning I struggled a lot with hitting but I started to work harder to catch up to the girls in my grade. That eventually led to working harder to catch up to the upperclassmen that I had looked up to. I knew that baseball had taught me previous skills about catching so I was able to focus my attention on becoming a stronger hitter.

Becoming a part of a winning Kokomo program that had won many conference and sectional titles, two of which I have been a part of, I learned leadership and teamwork from my coaches. My coaches in the past have put me outside of my comfort zone in order to exceed mine and their expectations. By doing this they have allowed me to shine in ways I previously never would have expected. In college, I am looking for a program to continue to help me fundamentally grow into a better player but to satisfy the same abilities I have learned over my high school career. Academically I would like to be challenged and pushed to the limits just like softball. I want to be held accountable for my mistakes and learn to grow after them in order to become the best player I can be.