Softball seeps into system of Evanston’s Everett

Updated: July 19, 2011 11:56AM

Before her freshman year at Evanston, Shakyra Everett had merely given softball a thought.

Three years later she was invited with 89 other local high school players to participate in the Northwest Suburban Softball Showcase held at Stevenson Friday and Saturday.

“This is a big jump for me,” Everett said, “I never thought that playing freshman year, by the time I was a junior that I’m able to start playing for scouts,”

DePaul University, University of Illinois, University of Chicago, Lake Forest College, and Aurora University were among the 17 schools present at the combine. The 90 athletes invited were divided by their high school’s conference into four teams: DuPage Valley/Upstate Eight, East Suburban Catholic/Mid Suburban, Central Suburban/Fox Valley, and North Suburban/West Suburban.

On Friday each team played two games, and individual players were tested on their base-running ability and speed. Saturday morning the girls were put through individual positional tests before play another game.

Like many of the athletes in Lincolnshire, the thought of playing in front of college scouts made Everett nervous.

“It’s a lot (of pressure),” Everett said. “I hoped the schools I wanted were here, but then again it’s like colleges are looking at me, and I’m just hoping someone notices me,”

Everett’s dream would be to play softball in the southeast, with the University of Miami being her preferred destination. This summer, Everett has been putting in extra time to refined her skills.

“I’m working with Evanston Township’s Coach Logan, and he’s helping me get better in different areas on the field,” Everett said.

She also wants to improve her hitting, specifically bunting.

Everett never had any notion of softball helping get her into college. She was a baseball fan growing up, and after watching a softball game on TV a couple years back she figured she would give it a try.

She started playing freshman year with the idea that softball would just be a “high school thing”, and never imagined that her skills would develop to the point where she could play at the next level.

“I’d feel more proud of myself if I accomplished something more than academics in school,” Everett said, although she said she maintains a grade-point average of 3.6 on a 4-point scale.

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