It’s rare for a freshman to make a sports varsity team, but even more uncommon for a freshman to verbally commit to play for a college.

One freshman–Vista’s own Katie Vretzos–has beat the odds.

Vretzos, a 14-year-old varsity softball player, committed to the University of San Diego this year to play softball in 2017.  She is the first softball player in Vista’s history to verbally commit to a college as a freshman.

She started playing the game when she was three years old; her dad wanted her to follow the footsteps of her sister. “My sister played it, and she was my role model,” Vretzos said.

In all, Vretzos has played on three teams throughout her softball life; she started playing for Fairfield, California’s Nor Cal Elite, and now she plays for Benicia, California’s Sorcerer and Vista’s varsity team.

Throughout her career playing softball, Vretzos has played shortstop, second base and outfield. During this time, she has achieved many awards and accomplishments, including placing first in the 2012 softball World Series and placing third in Western Nationals with her current team, Sorcerer. She and her team are third in the nation for Premier Girls Fastpitch,  tournament, and was in the top twenty for On Deck Softball, a national camp.

 Jim Vretzos, her father, said he is eager to see his daughter achieve her dream to play in college.

“It’s exciting for us as a family, and for her, because that’s like her ultimate goal for her to go to a division-one college and play softball,” Vretzos said.  “You know we’re still not there. She still has three more years until she gets there. She’s just got to keep working hard.”

Many of Vretzos’ teammates and peers at Vista agreed that Vretzos is a hard worker and brings a positive attitude to the team.

“Her presence on the field makes it so people want to focus better and that’s really good,” said Lindsey Fenton, Vretzos’ teammate and friend at Vista.

Robert Reed, the varsity softball coach, concurs and said that Vretzos has a strong work ethic and shows a lot of maturity. “Whether it’s practice or it’s in a game, you can tell she’s giving 100 percent,” Reed said.

Vretzos said she plans on playing at a division-one university for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a middle infielder. She will keep working hard on the road to play in college and will be able to sign between May 2016 and April 2017.

 “I never thought I would have got that much out of softball,” Vretzos said.