Pontius to sign with Lake-Sumter
By DAWN REISS
Published January 19, 2005
LECANTO - As a freshman, Nikki Pontius dreamed of playing for an NCAA Division I program.
Her ability as a hitter, pitcher and first baseman made the Lecanto standout a commodity. Jacksonville University, a Division I team, and the NAIA's Weber International University started courting her with scholarship offers years ago.
But when it came time to decide, it wasn't as easy as Pontius had anticipated. Her priorities had changed.
Pontius will sign with Lake-Sumter Community College for a full scholarship 9:30 a.m. today at the high school.
"I prefer to go to a community college over a four-year school to have more time to get a job and have a social life," said Pontius, who likely will play first base and pitch.
Since her freshman year, Pontius had pitched every game but one - 427 innings to be exact, not including all the games from her 11th birthday until high school. Entering her senior season, she had surrendered just one home run.
Originally, Pontius didn't know her Panthers career would be spent on the mound. She had dedicated herself during summers to competitive teams such as the Tampa Wildcats and Mustangs. She kept pushing, hoping for something more.
Then something happened.
Pontius stopped having fun. Or at least it stopped being as fun as it was when she started. She wanted to hang out with her friends and boyfriend to have a life outside of school and off the pitching hill.
So when it came time to chose between what she had trained for and what she longed for, the question lingered in her mind.
That's when Pontius started to think about Lake-Sumter Community College.
She wanted to go into sports medicine, and the school offers an associate degree in sports and fitness. The idea seemed perfect. She could play softball two years there then, depending on how things went, would transfer to a four-year program or end her career.
Pontius went to each college for a tryout, and gave her oral commitment to Lake-Sumter on Dec. 15. She has a 23-34 career record, 365 strikeouts, 83 walks and 1.20 ERA.
"I don't doubt I could play at a Division I school," Pontius said, "but I don't feel like making that kind of commitment.
"I'm just kind of burned out," she said. "I don't want softball to be a job. I want it to be fun."
Dawn Reiss can be reached at 352 564-3628 or dreiss@sptimes.com