PORT ANGELES — Carly Gouge moved one giant step closer to her dream when she signed a national letter of intent to play softball at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., on Wednesday afternoon.
“It started when I was little and we were watching University of Washington play on TV and I would always say, ‘Oh, my god, I want to be like that. I want to be on TV, I want to play softball in college,’” Gouge, a senior at Port Angeles High School, said.
“I’m just really excited. I know I’ve put a lot of work and effort into this, and I’m just happy that my dream to play in college came true.”
Hillsdale is an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Michigan is far from Port Angeles, but technically for Gouge it is home.
She was born in Farmington Hills, Mich., during the time her father, Dr. Dirk Gouge, was doing his residency at Botsford Hospital.
Hillsdale is a 100-mile drive from Farmington Hills, and 75 miles from Kalamazoo.
Dirk Gouge said this familiarity makes the distance less daunting for him and Carly’s mom, Kelly.
Carly Gouge expects Hillsdale also will have a familiar feel to Port Angeles.
“It’s a really small school, so I’m really excited that I’m going to get to know all my teammates and my coaches and my professors really well, and I’m really excited to be in that close-knit community, kind of like it is here,” she said.
Carly Gouge said she will play in the outfield, her high school position, for the Hillsdale Chargers.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
