WINNEMUCCA - From the time she was able to pick up a bat and glove, Lowry High School senior Ere Higbee had the hopes of playing college softball.
The Lady Buckaroo senior will get that opportunity as she has signed a letter of intent to play for Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Ore., for the 2014-15 season.
"I am really excited to be finished with the process, know where I am going and have a set plan," said Higbee. "The process took forever, but once I got to where I wanted to go it went very smooth and quick. I am excited to play at the next level."
A season ago, Higbee was a first-team choice at shortstop in the Ruby Mountain League and a second-team selection in the Division I-A North. At the end of her sophomore season, Higbee was named to the all-league and all-state second teams.
As a junior, Higbee batted .385, with a .447 on base percentage in 34 games. She had 42 hits, 27 RBIs and 41 runs. She led the team with nine doubles.
Higbee said she had offers from other schools, including College of Idaho, but fell in love with Southwestern Oregon quickly. She made a recruiting trip to the school, where she met the coaching staff and Laker players.
"I loved it from the first time I saw it," Higbee said. "When I visted the campus, it was like nothing I have seen before, it was beautiful. I visited College of Idaho, but it didn't feel like home. I felt comfortable when I came up to Oregon."
Southwestern Oregon is a member of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. There are 34 schools in the association and the Lakers compete in the South Region, along with Chemeketa (Salem, Ore.), Clackamas (Oregon City, Ore.), Clark (Vancouver, Wash.), Lower Columbia (Longview, Wash.) and Mt. Hood (Gresham, Ore.).
The Lakers finished third in the South Region last year at 12-8 and were 28-14 overall. Southwestern Oregon is coached by Megan Corriea. Her and the Laker staff were named the coaching staff of the year by the NWAACC coaches a season ago.
"Megan and the staff is awesome and treated me great," Higbee said. "That was a big reason for the decision that I made."
Higbee, who primarily plays shortstop for the Lady Bucks, will likely play second base or the outfield for the Lakers.
"She told me that I was not going to redshirt my first year," added the senior. "She said second base for sure and also some time in the outfield."
For the past two years, Higbee has been playing for the Nevada Lightning 18 and under team, which included a trip to Colorado last summer. They will travel to Canada this summer.
Eight players off that 2013 sqaud have signed to play college softball. Before playing for the Nevada Lightning, Higbee was a member of the Winnemucca Gold Rush, beginning with the 12 and under squad in 2007.
"I have learned so much in the last two years playing year-round softball," Higbee said. "It is unreal how much I have improved. It is so nice to have all my coaches here. They all have helped me so much, since I was little. I can't thank them enough."
Higbee plans on going into early education field and would like to teach kindergarten or first grade.
"I am kind of nervous about leaving home, but excited what the future has for me," Higbee said. "It will be good to get out and meet new people and I will be doing something I love."[[In-content Ad]]
