From "small town" to small town, Gavilan sophomore and former Lady 'Baler Julie Broyer is moving on.
Owing a little bit of her decision to the City of Hollister, Broyer signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball at Wingate University in North Carolina on Wednesday.
Located outside of Charlotte, Wingate is home to a liberal arts college that bears the same name, as well as a softball team that went 31-17 last season and 9-5 in the South Atlantic Conference.
"I went there for a visit and I really liked it. The coaches made me feel really welcome and I had a really good vibe," said Broyer, who graduated from San Benito High School in 2005. "I kind of like the small-town feel because I grew up in Hollister and that's kind of what I'm used to."
While Hollister has that "small-town" feel, the town of Wingate truly is a small town with a population of a little more than 3,700.
That certainly helped in Broyer's decision, though, as a move of 3,000 miles may stir a sudden case of home-sickness.
Calling head coach Michelle Caddigan a "mom away from mom," Broyer feels more than welcome despite the long distance.
"They're really excited that I'll be a part of the team," Broyer said.
The news did not come as a shock to Gavilan head coach Nikki Dequin, who knew Broyer was going to get signed.
"I have all positive things to say about her. She's a good athlete, she'll work hard and I know it's gonna be a good fit for both of them," said Dequin of Broyer and Wingate. "I had very high hopes of her moving on. She's just a great ball player and I knew she was gonna get picked up somewhere."
Wingate got word of Broyer, Dequin said, by her statistics posted on jcsports.com. Once interest piqued, Gavilan sent a DVD of Broyer in action.
A shortstop for the Rams, Broyer is expected to be a middle infielder at Wingate. She played in 37 games for Gavilan and batted .370 with 50 hits (nine doubles, four triples, six home runs).
Broyer scored 47 runs, knocked in 20, stole 33 bases and had a slugging percentage of .630 and an on-base percentage of .487.
Planning to major in psychology, Broyer - who thanked her parents, her strength and conditioning coach as well as everyone who supported her - will attend Wingate beginning in the fall.
"This school was the most consistent and enthusiastic of me going there," she said. "At times, I have really mixed emotions - sad for moving but excited to get out there. It's something I need to do."
Andrew Matheson Andrew Matheson is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 334 or at amatheson@svnewspapers.com.
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