Last Thursdays signing ceremony attended by family, teammates, coaches, and school staff was a symbolic sendoff for softball player Makayla Frias and baseball player Daniel OSullivan, two RedHawk seniors who now look ahead to the next chapter in their playing careers.
Frias is headed to the College of Idaho in Caldwell, a place she said felt immediately like home.
” Its a beautiful campus and the people were all very welcoming. I felt comfortable right away. The team made it seem like I had been there all along and not just another recruit. Its just a great atmosphere,” said Frias, who added that what she was most looking forward to was traveling and playing against high level competition, with the ultimate goal of reaching the NAIA World Series.
Her coach for the past four years in Colusa, Jamie Lay, never doubted that Frias would take the next step as he watched her develop as a player.
” I can remember Makayla coming to watch us play when she was a kid. I knew she was going to have that drive to stand out on the field. Instead of playing with her friends, she would stand down by the third base line and watch the game; actually, more like study it. She has always been willing to put in the work at practice, and after. If she had a bad game, it never failed she would call me on a Saturday for some extra hitting. She then committed to playing year-round with her travel team, and you could see her confidence and knowledge of the game grow.
Frias plans to join the Yotes as a third baseman.
OSullivan, although having family ties to Colusa, is a new addition to the RedHawks squad this year after transferring from Woodland, and will next make his way to Menlo College in Atherton to play for the Oaks.
A catcher by trade, OSullivan has fit in nicely with RedHawks this season according to Coach Eric Lay.
” Sully has really anchored our defense behind the dish. He’s a tough, hardworking kid who loves the game of baseball. His work ethic and determination will suit him well at the next level. We wish him well at Menlo, ” Lay said.
In choosing Menlo, OSullivan pointed to a number of factors relating to educational opportunities as well as the baseball program.
” I like the fact that its a business school, that its small and its in California. I also really liked the emphasis on the baseball team as a family and that it has a JV program so that the freshman can play together and move up as a group,” OSullivan said.
Both Frias and OSullivan will prepare for their new undertakings by continuing to play travel ball during the summer.
