Cati Richardson has bided her time as an outfielder in the Shelbyville High School softball program.
As a junior in 2021, playing time was sporadic, but when offered opportunities she delivered for a team that finished 24-5. In 12 games, Richardson hit .385 which should put her at the front of the line to replace a pair of graduated outfielders and a third outfielder that will take on more catching responsibilities.
Despite limited playing time in a Golden Bear uniform, Richardson is an accomplished travel softball player, first in the Midwest Astros organization and now in the Shockwaves system.
The senior just recently signed her National Letter of Intent to play college softball at Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana.
“It was crazy,” said Richardson of her signing day. “It was pretty anticlimactic but it was fun because I never really thought I would play in college. I don’t think I could not play softball for the next four years. I’ve been playing since I was four years old so it would have been sad to end it when I had the chance to keep playing.”
Richardson met with Manchester coach Sara Emerich, who was 6-26 in her first season as head coach of the Spartans. This is her second stint with the program after she served as an assistant coach from 2013-2017 when Manchester won 60 games and produced eight All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference selections.
Richardson was impressed with Emerich, visited the north central Indiana campus and found the educational major she was seeking.
“I like how small it is and they have Environmental Sciences and that is what I want to major in,” she said. “I met the coach over the summer, she is really nice and it all just clicked.”
Richardson’s goal is to be a park ranger. Her passion for the outdoors was sparked by her parents’ signing her up for a hiking program.
“My sophomore year my parents dropped me off in North Carolina in the middle of nowhere and I went on a backpacking trip with a bunch of random people I didn’t know,” explained Richardson. “I got my junior park ranger badge.
“It was fun and now looking back on it, it was really cool.”
Richardson will minor in Criminology. After graduation, she will register for a 6-month program that will directly admit her into a seasonal park ranger pool that can lead to a full-time position.
After the holiday break, Richardson will start vying for a starting role with another talented Golden Bears squad during preseason workouts. By March, her senior season will kick off and go by quickly.
Then the next challenge presents itself at Manchester where she starts all over as a freshman.
“I’m pretty sure my freshman year of high school was the worst year of my life,” she laughed. “I would do anything to erase that.
“Hopefully, my college freshman year goes better.”
Photo: Cati Richardson celebrated signing her letter of intent to play college softball at Manchester University with Shelbyville High School softball head coach Mark Hensley and assistant coach Megan Cory.
