Local pitcher signs to play at Hawaii Pacific University

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

Hard work and motivation has helped one local athlete secure a full-paid scholarship to play softball at Hawaii Pacific University.
Alexis Appleyard, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) has been playing softball for 10 years. Most recently, she played for the Alberta Elite team as a pitcher.
“I enjoy the team atmosphere and having a second family that I can always rely on,” said Appleyard. “Alberta Elite allowed other girls and I to travel to showcase tournaments across the United States to allow university coaches to come watch us. By doing this, coaches were able to offer us scholarships and paid visits to come see their schools.”
Appleyard will be pitching for the Hawaii Pacific Sharks at Hawaii Pacific University for four full years. Along with playing on the university team, she received a full four-year scholarship covering her tuition to study business with a focus on finance and economics.
“Playing for a university team has always been a dream of mine because it will allow me to go to school for free, which will make my future a little easier,” said Appleyard, who added that she wants to study business as it has always been an interest of hers and she hopes that it will also allow her the opportunity to travel for work in the future.
Appleyard is ready for the challenges and opportunities that playing on a university team will bring and is no stranger to hard work. To prepare for her time at Hawaii Pacific University, she trains with daily workouts at the gym and practices throwing every other day. Her favourite parts of playing softball are pitching and hitting, so she knows she needs to keep strong to play at the next level.
“I believe my biggest asset was my motivation, because without it I wouldn’t have pushed myself to train as hard as I did, to become the athlete I am today,” said Appleyard.
She encourages other athletes to work as hard as they can to reach their goals. “It is important to aim for perfection in order to achieve greatness, because why be average when you can be great.”