Pitch perfect: Tribal teenager Kaelynn Simmons receives WWU athletic scholarship to play softball

Although playing at the college level is the dream of many a high school athlete, few make it that far.

But for Tribal teenager Kaelynn Noelani Simmons of Dallas, that dream is about to come true. She was offered a full-ride athletic scholarship to Western Washington University in Bellingham to play Division II softball for the Vikings.

It’s a dream that has involved years of dedication and devotion for the young pitcher: Practicing her craft in the evening after homework is complete, playing on her high school team, competing in softball tournaments on weekends and for a travel team in the summer.

To a casual onlooker, all of this may appear to be just a lot of fun, but only the athlete understands how much work is involved in achieving their personal best; work that few others see.

“I always practice a minimum of four days a week and try to get five in whenever I can,” Kaelynn says. “It feels so awesome to know I will play softball at the college level. This is what I have been striving for. … It’s what drives me on those days when I don’t want to practice … that college dream.”

In addition to a full schedule as an athlete, Kaelynn, 17, maintains a 3.75 GPA at Dallas High School.

“I do that by prioritizing important stuff,” she says. “The student comes before the athlete. I always do my school projects first because that is what will eventually get me to what I want in life.”

Kaelynn is the daughter of Kevin Simmons, who works in the Tribe’s Education Department, and Robin Simmons. She has been playing softball since the age of 7 and gravitated toward pitching almost immediately.

“It just felt fun for me,” Kaelynn says. “I like the ability to have something to do that is an outlet for stress relief. For me, it also helps that I am pretty good at it. I like striking people out and being able to pitch for long games.”

Beyond practice and games, her training involves athletic conditioning, working on improving speed and pitching lessons.

Beyond being offered scholarships from three universities and being heavily recruited by another, the proof of all this hard work lies in the various accolades she has received during her high school softball career.

As a freshman, she was named a First Team Mid-Willamette Valley Conference Infielder and also selected for the Polk County Itemizer-Observer All Polk County Team. During her sophomore year, she earned the prestigious 5A State Pitcher of the Year award and as a junior Kaelynn was named First-Team All-State Pitcher.

In August 2016, Kaelynn attended a softball clinic held in Grand Ronde that featured Oregon State University assistant coach Emily Friedman and player Lovie Lopez. She was quickly identified for her pitching and hitting skills, and invited to attend a softball camp with top youth athletes from all over the country.

“That kicked off a whole bunch of things and schools really started looking at her,” Kevin recalls. “Now she trains with the best in the country. … It really was a community effort at the Tribe and she has a lot of support here.”

Tribal Social Services Director Dana Ainam has known Kaelynn for several years since her daughter also plays softball and both girls attended several of the same Youth Prevention camps and clinics.

“I went to Kaelynn’s first game when she was 13 and have been following her softball success since then,” Ainam says. “I’m really excited for her. It takes a huge commitment to be able to play for a four-year university under a full-ride scholarship, and a huge family commitment to the goal as well.”

Playing and practicing with the best in her sport is something that motivates Kaelynn to work even harder to achieve goals.

“It really helps me up my game because it gives me confidence,” she says. “I know I can compete with them and it’s nice to be able to do that. … I thrive on competition.”

Kaelynn received scholarship offers from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Western Washington University and Corban University in Salem, and was heavily recruited by Linfield College in McMinnville.

After touring campuses and talking to coaches, she went to Western Washington to visit before making a final decision.

“As soon as I saw the campus, talked to players and looked at the fields, I knew right away it was the place for me,” Kaelynn says. “It just felt so right.”

Off the softball field, she said she plans to major in psychology and earn a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing.

Kaelynn encourages fellow Tribal youth to “never give up” on their dreams and keep at it, even when it seems progress is slow.

“Keep working,” she says. “If you know what your dream is, you have to work for it. Do more work than what is average if you want to achieve success.”

Most student athletes have had mentors along the way and Kaelynn is no exception.

“I am grateful to my parents and my ancestors for paving the way for me,” she says. “Teresa Wilson, one of my coaches for my travel team, is a big inspiration, too. She helped me want to play at the college level and see it was possible.”

Wilson coached the University of Washington Huskies softball team for 11 years and they reached the NCAA Women’s College World Series six times.

“She has really helped me to get to where I am today,” Kaelynn says.

Kaelynn will be signing her commitment letter to Western Washington University at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Tribal Community Center. The public is invited to attend.

“This is also an achievement for the Grand Ronde community,” Ainam says. “It’s important to celebrate moments like this. It gives back to all of us.”