San Benito senior Jessica Vest made a verbal commitment to
Oklahoma University during her sophomore year and signed a National
Letter of Intent to the Division I college in November of last
year. But she didn’t get to formally celebrate her signing until
last week, when the starting shortstop for the softball team was
able to commemorate the occasion with teammates and coaches.
HOLLISTER
San Benito senior Jessica Vest made a verbal commitment to Oklahoma University during her sophomore year and signed a National Letter of Intent to the Division I college in November of last year.
But she didn’t get to formally celebrate her signing until last week, when the starting shortstop for the softball team was able to commemorate the occasion with teammates and coaches.
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“It was nice to celebrate with my team and have my coaches watch,” said Vest, who conducted a faux signing for those in attendance Wednesday at Hollister’s Mattson Gym.
The four-year varsity member, after committing to the Norman, Okla., school in 2008, signed her National Letter of Intent just as soon as she could last November on National Signing Day.
She backed up her end of the agreement when she put pen to paper and signed her name toward Oklahoma, after she made a verbal commitment two years prior to play softball for the Sooners, saying then, “They were the first letter I had ever received, and when I got to their campus, I felt at home and I could see myself going to school there with all the people.”
But signing so quickly in November prevented Vest from celebrating with her friends and teammates.
“I had to get it back to the school ASAP, so I just signed it as early as I could,” she said Wednesday.
Vest actually signed her LOI before school on Nov. 10, then went about her day like any other.
“But when I signed it, it was still exciting,” she added. “It was really a weight off my shoulders. It was official.
“I had been waiting so long, so it was nice to get it done. It was exciting.”
Wednesday’s get-together allowed Vest’s varsity teammates, her parents, coaches and even some school officials to formally celebrate the honor. Similarly to what she said two years ago after she committed to Oklahoma, Vest said Wednesday that the Sooners were always her No. 1 choice.
Although she still received interest from other schools following her commitment, Vest’s opinion of the Norman, Okla., school didn’t change.
“When I went to their campus, I knew that’s where I wanted to go,” she said.
Vest is part of an Oklahoma recruiting class of five student-athletes, including Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.), Callie Parsons (Pryor, Okla.), Kelley Reeves (Arvada, Colo.) and Erica Sampson (Tahlequah, Okla.).
“Jessica stood out during the recruiting process because of her blue-collar style of play,” Sooners head softball coach Patty Gasso said in a statement. “She has very smooth hands and is very reliable. She’s a gamer who plays to win. She will bring a lot of security to our infield. She’s played in a lot of big games and knows how to win championships. She’s one of the best defenders I’ve seen this summer. I’m really excited for her to bring ‘sure hands’ to our infield.”
Although Vest is now signed and sealed, she said her approach to the game hasn’t changed at all, and won’t change as she advances through her senior season.
“It’s more incentive to work harder because I have so much to live up to and do next year,” she said.
