"It felt like a great fit when I was there, it kinda felt like home to me," — Ciara Blankenship.
BRONSON — Defiance College softball coach Jordan Osborne understood that finding premium, talented players at the high school level was going to be a challenge. But she also knew it was a big deal in her journey as head coach of the program.
Luckily for her, Bronson graduate Ciara Blankenship was interested in playing at the next level once she was done with school. The two connected and now, Blankenship will continue her academic and softball careers with the Hornets down in Ohio. She signed on to play earlier this year.
"We are looking forward to her versatility and athleticism, she will be able to do a lot of things for us at the college level," Osborne said of Blankenship. "I think she will be able to play a handful of different positions for us, which is a big thing in college, having that versatility."
Blankenship just finished up her high school career at Bronson. She was primarily the shortstop for the team this season, but Osborne is excited for her ability to also see time in the outfield. Blankenship said she was just fine being able to play wherever at the next level and wants to help the Hornets succeed.
The decision to keep playing after high school came fairly easy.
"I just like that I was really able to connect with coach. It felt like a great fit when I was there, it kinda felt like home to me," Blankenship said. "The atmosphere when I was on campus was great."
In the classroom, Blankenship said she plans to pursue something in the business world, perhaps majoring in accounting. She's good with math and numbers, someday becoming a CPA has a nice ring to it, she said.
"As I was growing up, I was able to understand math easily. I did some research and went back and forth on some things because in business I can do a lot of different paths," Blankenship said. "If it doesn't work out in accounting, then I should be able to change it up with different parts of business with no problems."
Defiance sits about an hour and a half from Bronson, so the distance is just fine for Blankenship. She was looking for something along those lines, so being able to connect with the Hornet program and get things figured out was a plus.
"It's not too far, distance definitely played a role," Blankenship said. "I didn't wanna be too far away from my family, but obviously I wanted to adventure out as well. I'm looking forward to making more friends, connecting with different people."
Like most graduates who move on to the next level in sports following high school, Blankenship will miss her friends. She will still be able to be friends with them away from school while they are all growing up, but it won't be the same, she said.
But it will all be OK.
Transitioning to the college game will bring some challenges as well. That will be an adventure she's looking forward to starting soon.
Osborne said while the game of softball increases in difficulty at the next level, she has confidence in Blankenship.
"It can obviously be tough, the game itself doesn't change much but the competition level and game knowledge changes every step of the way," she said. "I'm very excited for this group of kids we have coming in this year, though. Ciara should help us continue to get better."
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Athleticism, versatility keys to Blankenship being able to play
Category: General Sports