Belle Racca, a senior softball standout at Breaux Bridge (Louisiana) High and member of the Louisiana Glory 18U travel ball team, would appear to be an ideal candidate to play at the college level with her 2.6 second home-to-first speed as a centerfielder/slapper and a strong classroom GPA of 4.1.
One of three triplet girls, each of them—Belle and sisters Amber and Piper—have played softball all their lives and had the opportunity to play post-high school after getting offers from various colleges in their area.
Amber decided to play at Northwest Mississippi Community College while Piper decided to hang up her cleats and attend the University of Louisiana in Lafayette as a full-time student.
Belle, however, would take a different path all together… although it was one that was still familiar to the family.
Given the opportunity to play softball at Baton Rouge Community College, she instead choose to join the United State National Guard, which is by definition “a branch of the U.S. military that has both state and federal responsibilities” and “routinely responds to domestic emergencies such as natural disasters and supports military operations overseas.”
Why got into the National Guard when she had opportunities to play the sport she loves at the college level?
We’ll answer that momentarily, but first more background on the athlete’s family and her time growing up in the Bayou State.
Kevin and Veronica Racca have four children: the 18-year-old triplets and their older brother, Brody, who is 21. Veronica says her daughters were always into sports.
“The girls have been very athletic from a very young age,” she remembers. “They started in T-ball at the age of five and Amber and Belle decided to join gymnastics in October of 2013 and with three months they were already on the New Heights Gym gymnastics team and won second and third and state competition.”
Their busy schedule on the gymnastics side took two of the three triplets out of softball for a time with Piper the only one who continued playing. In 2016, though, they decided to put a gymnastics on hold because of the stress of traveling from home, instead, and played recreational softball.
That same year, all three tried out—and made—the basketball, volleyball and softball teams at Breaux Bridge Junior High. Eventually, as freshmen at Breaux Bridge High School, Belle made the volleyball team and all three siblings made the varsity softball team.
Piper chose to give up high school softball in her junior year after Belle decided to stop competing in volleyball as a sophomore to concentrate on softball only. Amber and Belle also played summer ball for the travel team Louisiana Vipers before going on to join the Louisiana Glory organization.
During the Fall of 2021, the two sisters played in many showcases and soon realized that many colleges were interested in each of them. Belle, in particular, was excited and amazed at the interest because, as a 5-foot-2 athlete, she sometimes wondered if playing collegiate softball would even be a possibility. She also concentrated heavily on her academics and school clubs, which would pay off for her in the end.
As she entered her senior year at Breaux Bridge High, Belle was as a top student-athlete and leader with several softball offers from junior colleges and D3 schools as well as the promising possibility to enter the National Guard. After weighing all the possibilities, Belle says “I pretty much has made up my mind on going to Baton Rouge Community College.”
She thought it would be a good fit to continue her education and softball career, but, after talking with the Baton Rouge softball coaching staff, Belle had a tough decision to make. If she chose to go into the National Guard, she would not be back in time for the fall semester and would be ineligible to play softball in college.
“Softball has been a very big part of my life but I have family members with experience in the military,” Belle explains. “I would have gotten a scholarship to play softball but I had to think about every aspect that would come with committing to play softball and the expenses I would be having.”
Belle worried about the financial burden of having three Racca kids in college as freshmen would be tough on their parents. She knew that she wanted to go to a university although her scholarship offers were at the community college level.
After a lot of going back-and-forth with family members, coaches and others, Belle decided the National Guard was her best option for her long-term goals, while knowing that the decision meant she would be giving up her dream of being able to play softball in college. It’s a decision Belle admits that “I often question if I made the right choice.”
Still, she is committed to see her decision through and feels in her heart that, ultimately, it will all work out. After all, she’s not the first in her family to be in the military… or even the National Guard.
Veronica, the girls’ mother, was in the National Guard herself and knows first-hand how difficult the decision was for her daughter. While believing that the National Guard will “be a good fit for Belle” especially after the senior took the ASVAB—the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test–and scored very well, Veronica understands that her daughter still wonders about her choice to leave softball behind.
“Belle still struggles with the decision she made,” her mom says, “especially when she is on the field and with her team and her sister. But at the same time, I think she also believes that she made the best decision for her in the long run. My husband and I are so very proud of all of our children. They all have a determination that cannot be stopped. Belle’s decision to join the National Guard is bittersweet, but I never doubt that the decision she made was right for her.”
When it comes to her siblings, Amber believes she tends to be the “older sister.” Belle has often followed in Amber’s footsteps; for example, when Amber joined the Louisiana Glory program, Belle soon followed.
“Piper is the glue that holds us all together,” Amber continues, “and Belle is the sweetest one out of all three of us. She has a kind soul and a very big heart.”
Amber, the only one of the triplets currently set to play college softball, says she really encouraged Belle to continue in the sport.
“She played summer ball with me and did everything as I did,” Amber recalls. “She earned eight offers from colleges from three different states and has worked very hard. I know she loves playing, but I also support Belle’s decision to go into the National Guard.”
Like Amber, Piper really thought Belle would choose to attend Baton Rouge Community College and play softball.
“It was a shock for sure, but Belle is very sure of herself, and I trust her decision.”
Before they go part ways this fall, the triplets are unified in what they want to do this summer, perhaps their last time as a trio.
“We definitely all want to spend as much time together as we can before we all head our different directions,” explains Piper. “We have never been separated for long and it will definitely be a completely new experience for all of us.”
— Joy Roeder, correspondent to Extra Inning Softball
