Over the last four years, no one has played more varsity softball at Forest City than Emma Anderson, and now she has decided to continue her playing career in college.
Last week, in front of friends and family at Forest City High School, Anderson made it official – signing her National Letter of Intent to the NCAA DIII Central College in Pella.
That’s Anderson, who spoke with the media following her signing.
Anderson will be playing for a good one when she gets to Pella following her final summer as an Indian. George Wares has guided the Dutch for almost four decades, starting with the team in 1985. He’s the winningest softball coach in NCAA DIII history, amassing over 1,200 career wins with a win rate of over seven out of every ten.
But it wasn’t just the team and the coach; Anderson said the campus was also a draw for her.
Softball has been part of Anderson’s life from a young age. Including getting into competitive AAU softball before taking the diamond as an eighth-grader for Forest City during the 2019-2020 season. Since then, Anderson has been a staple in the Forest City softball lineup, collecting over 80 hits and batting over .360 for her career with one summer left to go. Anderson said she wants her and the team to grow this upcoming season.
This past summer, Anderson experienced a coaching change when Patti Strukel and Michael Johnson took over the program.
Most won’t get to experience Anderson as a teammate on the court or the field. Still, you can tell by the number of teammates from multiple sports who showed up to support her during the signing process that she is well-respected amongst her peers – Anderson was appreciative of the support.
Playing sports in college runs in the family. Anderson’s sister, Hannah, played basketball at NCAA DIII Wartburg, and Brother, Tyler, played NCAA DII football at Winona State University.
She doesn’t know precisely what Central will use her for, which is a credit to her; she has played many different positions while at Forest City and has the ability to impact them with defense or on the bases. Anderson is 41 for 41 in her career, stealing bases with over 80 runs scored. Defensively, in all those games she’s played, she has committed just 20 errors, including only three last year while playing in 22 games.
Finally, for Anderson, why does she love the game of softball so much?
