By Tony Burns
Sports Editor
EL DORADO - El Dorado senior Marissa Rice signed a letter-of-intent Thursday to extend her softball career beyond high school. The power-hitting catcher chose to play at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss.
“I’m just blessed to have this opportunity. I’m very happy,” Rice said with a beaming smile.
“I had two schools I was looking at and Belhaven was one of them. Centenary College in Shreveport was the other one. Both are really good schools academically. Either way, I would’ve been fine academically. But, I met the softball coach at Belhaven and I liked the way he recruited me. I think he recruited me very well. He told me the truth. He didn’t lie about anything. The campus was beautiful. I think I have a chance to win some National Championships down there so that’s another plus. But, the coach was great. The school was great. It felt like another home.”
Belhaven is a NCAA Division III program. The Blazers finished as runners-up at the NCCAA World Series in May and boasted a 37-9 record.
Rice said she started playing softball at the age of three. She’s played on several travel teams, including the Louisiana Heat, based out of Rayville, La.
“ She lives and breathes it,” said El Dorado softball coach Chris Ezell. “I remember her when I was teaching fifth and sixth grade P.E. when she was coming through and she was actually playing baseball for the Boys Club here, too, on top of playing softball. So, she’s just ate up with it.”
Rice said playing collegiate softball has been, almost, a lifelong dream.
“I don’t want to sound like it was too early but I started thinking about it when I was about 12 or 13. I knew that it was a possibility. I knew I’d be able to make it about my freshman or sophomore year,” said Rice, who said the overriding emotion after signing the letter was relief.
“I was very happy. I’m blessed that I get to experience this. Also, it was like a weight lifted off of me. There’s been a lot of pressure. I’ve been working on getting recruited since my freshman year. For it to finally be over, it felt great.”
Rice expects to compete for playing time at catcher at Belhaven but can also play at first base and third base. Ezell said her work ethic will make her asset no matter where she lines up on the field.
“I feel like she’s one of the best catchers in our division. She’s going to hit for power. She’s going to be in our clean-up spot, hopefully driving in runs. Behind the plate, she’s as solid as they get. She definitely likes to throw runners out. We’re hoping that she’s successful at that quite a bit this year,” said Ezell.
“She’s our vocal leader on the field and off, inside the dugout. She’s the one that keeps everybody going and if things get chaotic, her voice is the one of reason. She’s the glue that holds us together. I’m proud to have a kid like Marissa Rice in our program. I can’t say enough about her work ethic. She always wants to do more. She’s Miss One More. Anytime we’re taking reps at the plate or whatever we’re doing, she’s always asking, ‘Can I get one more?’ That’s kind of her nickname - Miss One More.”
A crowd of family, friends, teammates and coaches from various stages of her development gathered at Wildcat Arena for Rice’s signing ceremony.
Rice couldn’t contain her emotions when she revealed why she chose Thursday, Feb. 23 to sign the letter.
“Today would be my sister’s 27th birthday,” she said before breaking down into tears. “We lost her last May. I just knew she couldn’t be here today and I wanted a way to honor her.”