Baler sophomore commits to Sacramento State

San Benito High sophomore Suzy Brookshire has all of three varsity softball games under her belt, but by the time she starts her sophomore season, she will already have accomplished a lifelong dream.
Brookshire recently gave a verbal commitment to play for Sacramento State, a solid Division I program that went 22-22 a year ago. Brookshire said Sacramento State’s offer of a full-ride scholarship was simply too good to pass up.
Indeed, most athletes have to accept a partial athletic scholarship initially, with the possibility of it becoming a full-ride later on. That’s because every program has only so much money it has to spread out to every athlete on the team.
“There are a lot of positives of committing early, and I don’t really see a downside to it,” Brookshire said. “I hear a lot of seniors talking about how they haven’t figured out what college they’re going to go to, and I feel while my future is not fully planned out yet, I’ve taken a big step toward securing it.”
The 5-foot-7 Brookshire started on the Haybalers’ junior varsity team as a freshman before getting called up to the varsity midway through the season. A utility player who can play every position except pitcher, Brookshire went hitless in five at-bats. Nonetheless, Brookshire is an accomplished player, having played on a couple of competitive traveling club teams.
Brookshire got noticed at a softball camp in the fall, and from there a couple of D-I programs including San Jose State and Sacramento State started to express major interest to Brookshire’s club coach at the time, former Cal star and U.S. National Team member Vicky Galindo.
Brookshire took an unofficial visit to Sacramento State the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, and a couple of days later she gave a verbal commitment. Even though she has the prize of a scholarship waiting for her — athletes can’t officially sign a letter-of-intent until their senior year — Brookshire isn’t letting any of it get to her head.
“I’ve got a lot to prove,” she said. “When I got moved up to the varsity last year, I realized I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. It made me want to work that much harder, and I really got after it in the offseason. I’m a much better player now compared to last year.”
Brookshire said she also had an offer from San Jose State, but that everything felt right about Sacramento State.
“I don’t see any cons about committing this early,” she said. “I don’t regret the decision. I know there are a lot of colleges out there, but I wouldn’t pick any other college. I got a pretty good offer.”
With the high school softball season just a couple of pitches away — teams can start practicing on Feb. 3 — Brookshire plans on being a valuable player for a San Benito team that is looking for a CCS record-tying ninth consecutive championship. She credits Balers coach Scott Smith for helping her to hone in on the intricacies of the game.
“I’ve learned a lot from coach Smith,” Brookshire said. “I see the game an entirely different way through him. I can’t wait for the season to get going. I’ll do anything for this game.”