We will always have a warm spot in our Extra Inning Softball hearts for Eleni Katsvalis, after she and her adorable pet Corgi “Hercules” won our “National Kids and Pets Day” contest in April of this year.
But she’s a pretty darned good softball player too and the 2022 outfielder—who shined at Yorba Linda (California) High and with the strong Firecrackers 18U club team coached by Sean Brashear and Mike Smith—is going to take her game to the next level as the Orange County player is headed to Columbia in the Ivy League.
Eleni, who has a 4.3 GPA and is equally strong in the classroom as she is on the playing fields, committed on Sept. 17, 2021 and recaps how she had multiple college options but ultimately chose the Lions.
“My communication with college coaches began immediately on September 1st of my Junior year right at midnight,” she recalls. “I was very excited and fortunate to receive a lot of communication from several schools, especially those in the Ivy League, Big Ten, and the ACC. Much of it was quite amazing; especially since I, like other 2022’s, had lost an entire year of recruiting due to the pandemic.”
Eleni explains that recruiting for her class was anything but typical because of the COVID impact.
“While a couple of schools had seen me play live,” she continues, “most reached out based on what they had seen virtually and heard from my coaches. My communication with seven of the initial schools continued through 2021 and a couple of new schools came into the picture. To be talking to four Ivy league universities about the prospect of being an athlete in their program was amazing!”
The So Cal athlete says being on the Columbia campus cinched the decision for her that East Coast university was the place for her future athletic and academic endeavors.
“It was after my official visit to Columbia over Labor Day weekend that I made the decision to give Coach Jen Teague and the coaches my verbal commitment,” she recalls. “I loved the atmosphere that New York City had and the location of the Columbia campus in the heart of Manhattan was awesome. I knew that continuing my education and playing softball at such a prestigious university was the choice for me.”
It is, Eleni believes, not just about the time she will be on campus but what the impact of going to the Ivy League school will do for her the rest of her life.
“For me, college has always been a 40-year investment, not a four-year one, and softball is opening the door to an amazing future. The coaches at Columbia were also so nice, open, and great throughout the entire process and I am excited to be a part of the Columbia Lions Softball program next fall!”
*** Scroll down to read more from our Q&A we did with Eleni including additional thoughts on why she fell in love with Columbia, what Lion coaches liked about her and what she’ll miss most about California when she heads East to college…
