Senior Ashley Mars, like many young children, decided that she wanted to partake in a sport at age 6. She began to play for a recreational softball team for fun on the weekends. This is where her passion ignited and she has been playing competitively ever since.

“My first team was in Nebraska and I played for the YMCA. When I came to Kansas, I began to play for Orange Crush which was a competitive team. It was a ton of fun and I really started to like the idea of playing competitively,” Mars said.

Mars began to play competitive softball at the age of 10 and fell in love with it. She admired the fact that she got to travel while still playing the game that she loved.

“It was a great way to make new friends that I didn’t go to school with,” Mars said.

When Mars initially began softball, she played every position. However, as she grew older and discovered her strengths she decided that being a catcher was the right position for her.

“I liked being in control of the field and being a leader of the team” Mars said.

As Mars began high school, she knew that she wanted to be on the school softball team. She attended try-outs and found herself on the Varsity team as a freshman.

“It was a great feeling knowing that all of the hard work that I had put in for many years had paid off,” Mars said.

It was at this time that Mars decided that she wanted to continue on to play softball in college. She then began to dedicate a plethora of time each week to honing her skills and improving her natural abilities. She was hopeful to make her dreams a reality.

“Outside of practice I ran cross country, I got in the weight room, I worked out with my brother a lot and I gave lessons to other people just to give back to the sport. This all made me a better and more well-rounded softball player,” Mars said.

As her senior year began, Mars began to look for colleges who were looking for players with her abilities and that fit her well. She then found Cowley County Community College in Ark City, Kan. She felt that this school was right for her as it was the perfect size and had everything that she desired in a school. Since then, she has verbally committed to attend their university and plans to sign with them on Jan. 15.

“I wanted to go to Cowley because it was a good size and a good way to transition from high school to college while still playing softball. It also gave me the option of continuing to follow my dream of playing Division I softball,” Mars said.