By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

COLUMBIANA – Megan Garst has been playing softball since she was three years old. The pitcher/infielder will not see her softball career come to an end in the near future either, as Garst signed her letter of intent to attend Shelton State Community College and join the softball team as a pitcher.

“I love softball, I love playing,” Garst said of her chance to continue her career. “I’m just excited for the opportunity to be there and to keep playing.”

Garst was put in contact with Shelton State through a connection with her travel ball team, the Alabama Kraze/ Tittle Maroon, before the start of her senior year at Cornerstone. She went and tried out and was offered a scholarship on the spot. Her decision to attend Shelton State came just as quickly as well.

“I knew right then (I wanted to go),” Garst said. “I love the atmosphere there. The girls and the coaches, they’re so nice. I knew I wanted to be there.”

Garst is a right-hander, who says her best pitch is her rise ball. She has been a mainstay for the Lady Chargers in high school and now, before she turns her attention to the collegiate ranks, she still has one more season left to focus on at Cornerstone.

“I want to be able to help my teammates out this year,” Garst said. “We are a young program, so we want to try and build on that. To be able to build on that and teach them this season is what I really want to do.”

After her senior season she will enroll at Shelton State, where she will compete for playing time as a pitcher right away.