4 Merced County softball players celebrate national signing day. Where are they headed?
When it came time to share one of the biggest moments of their lives, it made sense for Buhach Colony seniors Justine Navarra and Molly Haley to do it on the Thunder softball field.
Navarra and Haley held their national letter of intent signing ceremony on the softball diamond where they have spent so many hours over the past four years with practices, workouts and games.
Navarra is headed to West Texas A&M and Haley will play at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota.
“When it came down to where to have it, everyone has it in the dance room,” Navarra said. “The dance room isn’t big enough for all our friends and family. I thought it was perfect to have it on the field because this is where everything happened for us out here.”
Both players had travel ball teammates who were already playing for the coaching staffs, which helped steer them to their eventual destinations.
Navarra, whose father, Kevin, is the head football coach at Buhach Colony, participated in a camp in September at the West Texas A&M campus. She impressed the coaches enough that she received a phone call shortly after the trip.
The coaches at Texas A&M reached out to Justine and let her know they wanted her to play for them.
Navarra, who plays third base and outfield, currently has a 4.21 GPA and plans to major in education or communications.
“This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was little,” Navarra said. “I’ve known since I first started playing softball that I wanted to play college softball. It didn’t matter where to me, although my dad and I have always talked about playing at Hawaii.
“It’s exciting to know I get to play softball at the next level.”
Haley experienced many of the same emotions.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to my signing day after watching our friends do it. I feel like I’ve accomplished something big. It means a lot to me.”
Haley, who plays catcher, third and first base, says she fell in love with the University of Jamestown campus right away during her visit in September.
“I knew I wanted to go to college out of state,” she said. “I like colder weather. The campus just had a perfect family atmosphere.”
Haley has a 4.7 GPA this past semester and plans to major in business administration with an emphasis in marketing.
Merced duo also share the spotlight
Merced High softball players Jewels Perez and Kat Arceo have been playing softball together since they were 9 years old. So with both players signing their national letters of intent to play softball, the two friends wanted to share the moment.
“We never thought we’d end up like this,” Perez said. “It’s pretty crazy.”
Perez, who has been an All-Central California Conference selection her first three years at Merced, is headed to San Diego State. The Bears star committed to the Aztecs during the summer after her sophomore year.
Perez, who is middle infielder, has visited SDSU three times since verbally committing in February of 2018 and she falls in the love with the school more and more each time.
“Especially this last time (this fall),” Perez said. “I actually got to stay with some of the girls and they all were so sweet. They took us in. It felt like I was part of the team.”
Perez has a 4.2 GPA and plans to major in business.
Arceo said Wednesday’s signing is a proud moment.
“It feels like we made it,” she said. “It’s been a long process. To know me and Jewels did it together is a big thing.”
Arceo found out about York College through one of her travel ball teammates whose aunt is the coach there. Arceo took a visit to the Nebraska campus in March and said it just felt right.
“I really liked the atmosphere,” Arceo said. “It’s a smaller school and that’s what I was looking for.”
Arceo, who plays first base, has a 3.5 GPA and plans to major in psychology.
“This has always been a dream,” Arceo said. “When you’re little this is what you’re shooting for and we get to say we made it.”
