SUBMITTED PHOTO
Medicine Hat's Ryan Sweet and Kassidy Hart pose before signing their commitments to play softball at Cerro Coso community college in California and Lake Region State College in North Dakota.
Ryan Sweet and Kassidy Hart are looking forward to their new softball teams south of the border this fall.
The two Hatters and products of Medicine Hat Minor Softball have committed to play softball at schools in the U.S. in the upcoming school year, with Sweet committing to Cerro Coso community college in California and Hart with Lake Region State College in North Dakota.
Sweet, who has played softball for seven years with the Thunder and Medicine Hat High, was the MHMSA 2022 U19 player of the year. She is excited for the opportunity to play at the college level.
“I’ve always wanted to play at a college level so now, actually achieving that goal it’s out of this world, it’s unreal,” Sweet said.
The college is a little over two and a half hours away from Los Angeles, and Sweet says they plan to tour the campus during Easter and made the choice to commit there because of the coaching staff and atmosphere.
“I like the community that’s been described Cerro Coso, it really sounds like a really fun place to go and I love the coaching staff, they seem super nice,” Sweet said. “Even though they’re a smaller college, they’re still really competitive. They really take softball seriously, which is what I do when I play, so it’s a good fit.”
While Sweet says she will spend her fair share of time laying on a beach, Hart will be a little closer to home and in a different climate while playing at Lake Region State College.
She was able to visit the school in February and says he fell in love with the campus.
“I had such an amazing experience when I had the opportunity to tour the college, meet my teachers, my coaches, teammates and I was even able to practice with the team,” Hart said. “I just love the atmosphere they offer for me.”
She was a little nervous for that first practice but says after getting to know some of her future teammates, very quickly became comfortable and excited for the fall.
“It’s all new and was way better than I even ever expected,” Hart said. “I love the girls, they’re all happy, they talk and they’re truly like a team. Even though they’re only a two-year college, they just seem so connected with everyone and I want to be a part of that.”
Getting the college commitment is even more special to Hart because she only started playing softball when she was 14. She worked her way up through the different levels and was supposed to be part of the Alberta Summer Games that was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Their softball season starts up in the fall with games before breaking for winter where they’ll workout indoors. Once it hits February they’ll begin games again, but they will play in domes to combat the weather. She’s excited for that opportunity and to just make softball part of her every day.
“I’m looking forward to getting routines with softball,” Hart said. “I’m also a multi sport athlete, I like to play volleyball and cross country, so that was my way of staying fit for my seasons each year. This will be really good for me to have a routine with softball.”
She’s also proud to represent the Gas City while playing in North Dakota.
“It feels amazing, I’m super excited to have this opportunity because I know it’s only going to happen once,” Hart said.
