CALEDONIA — As a gaggle of classmates and family members stood before the table placed just outside the library at Caledonia High School, Carlee Dale fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Since she began playing softball in her youth, Dale had long preached she wanted to play collegiately. Friday, that dream became a reality as the senior signed with Northeast Mississippi Community College.
“It feels great — I’m ready,” Dale said. “I like the coaches. I like the place. I like Northeast — it feels like home.”
“I knew she had the talent to play at the next level,” Caledonia coach Andy Finch added. “It was just a matter of where she was going.”
A shortstop and pitcher for the Confederates, Dale hit .360 with four RBIs and nine hits in 26 plate appearances, while boasting a 2.33 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.
“She’s always competing,” Finch said. “She’s always wanting to get better. She’s always asking questions to get better.”
Beyond her on-field exploits, Finch said Dale brings much-needed leadership to a team that enters the spring with just four seniors after finishing last year 12-10 and 9-1 in district play.
With Dale’s signing, Friday’s ceremony also offers the younger players on the roster something to aspire to.
“It shows the younger girls that you can go to another level and play at another level even though we’re a small-knit, community school,” Finch said.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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