Arbor View softball pitcher headed to Ivy League’s Brown

For astir athletes who marque their assemblage choices known connected nationalist signing day, particularly those who volition motion astatine a Division I school, it’s the culmination of a lifelong dream.

That’s not the lawsuit for Annie Finch, a softball pitcher from Arbor View. She had an wholly antithetic way successful mind.

She wanted thing to bash with playing Division I ball. She wanted to spell to a Division III schoolhouse — peculiarly Massachusetts Institute of Technology — and survey applied mathematics.

The program for her large is inactive the same, but her softball plans changed erstwhile Brown University came calling. She fell successful emotion with Providence, Rhode Island, a overmuch smaller metropolis than Boston, erstwhile she visited Brown, and that’s wherever she volition motion Wednesday.

“I talked truthful overmuch smack astir Division I,” Finch said. “I was going to a Division III school, and cipher could alteration my mind. But the Ivy League is simply a full antithetic breed. I don’t person to compromise thing with my education, and I inactive get to play astatine the highest level.”

Finch is 1 of the galore athletes successful the vale who volition motion a nationalist missive of intent Wednesday.

Before Finch heads to college, she volition person 1 much play with her Arbor View teammates. That includes 4 different seniors who volition motion Wednesday successful Trinity Brandon (San Diego State), Makena Strong (Montana), Paige Kellogg (Minot State) and Micaela Resler (Utah State Eastern University).

Arbor View has its eyes firmly connected a authorities title aft winning the Class 5A Southern Region title past spring, and that halfway is the main crushed for its optimism.

Brandon is the team’s spark plug and brings an breathtaking and joyous mode of playing softball that she sees from San Diego State. She said she “fell successful love” with adjunct manager Mia Longfellow’s bubbly property that is akin to her ain and relishes the accidental to larn from a softball fable successful manager Stacey Nuveman.

“I’m truly ecstatic astir learning from her due to the fact that she’s an Olympian, and playing astatine that level means a lot,” Brandon said. “I person truthful overmuch respect for her, and the hitting manager (Victoria Hayward) is besides an Olympian from Canada, truthful I got truly fortunate with who I’ll person arsenic my coaches.”

Strong volition squad up with a rival from crossed municipality astatine Shadow Ridge successful Breiana Bonkavich, who volition besides motion with Montana.

Bonkavich and teammate Hailey Morrow, who volition motion with Brigham Young, person unfinished concern of their ain aft the Mustangs won the 2019 authorities championship, but fell to Arbor View 6-5 successful the 5A Southern Region title crippled successful past spring’s shortened season.

Morrow has been committed to BYU, which she said is her imagination school, since eighth grade, truthful it’s been a agelong hold for her to officially sign.

“It was ace hard to hold this long,” she said. “But it truly taught maine patience and however to support focused connected a goal. It’s truly breathtaking to spell to (BYU). It’s a large ambiance with large coaches and teammates.”

Contact Jason Orts astatine jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts connected Twitter.