Nevaeh Stinson commits to Mayville State softball

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/12/2023 (905 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nevaeh Stinson’s dream of playing college softball just got one giant step closer.

The 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Minnedosa Collegiate Institute committed to Mayville State University on Nov. 16, and is set to take to the field with the Comets in North Dakota next fall.

“I’m almost done my first semester of school and it’s ‘Finally, I made, my dream has come true,’” Stinson said. “I’m so young, but I’ve put the hours in training and playing. As an athlete we all have our ups and downs, but it’s nice to be able to finally say I know where I’m going.

“Mayville State is a family community. Everyone knows everyone.”

She started playing softball at age nine and within three years knew what her long-term goal was. She began searching for schools four years ago, casting a wide net to see what opportunities and situations were out there.

Stinson estimates she reached out to 50 schools and visited five, but when she arrived on campus at Mayville State, her search was over.

“When I first got there and walked to my campus, it was ‘Oh my goodness,’” Stinson said. “This school is so small, which is super, super nice because I come from a small town that I’m living in now.

“Mayville is not much bigger than Minnedosa. I walked in and started talking to students and they were all saying that at Mayville State, your class size at most is going to be 15 per class.”

She liked the idea of having the ability to get more one-on-one instruction as she studies elementary education at the school, which has just under 1,200 students.

Stinson had a similar attraction to the athletic side of the experience at Mayville State. She was given a chance to stay in a dormitory with several of the women on the team and then went to practice the next day. The team is led by head coach Jordan Olson, who started in July.

“I absolutely love the coach,” Stinson said. “She’s really big on if you work hard, you will get rewarded. That’s what I’m big on as well.”

Olson told her she’ll have every chance to create her own opportunities, which is exactly what Stinson wanted to hear.

“She has two catchers there right now, but she says as long as I’m pushing myself, I’ll be able to stay behind the plate,” said Stinson, who also plays first base.

Mayville, which is located halfway between Grand Forks and Fargo on the west of Highway 29, is a 470-kilometre drive from Minnedosa.

Brooke Roeges of Baldur and Aimee Fafard of Dauphin are among the area players who recently played for the Comets, who compete in the North Star Athletic Association of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Stinson is spending a lot of time in the gym in Minnedosa, catching her father Kelly to get her reps in after a busy summer.

She was on the under-17 Westman Magic team which won top prize at the western Canadian softball championship in Winkler, which followed a gold medal with U19 Team Manitoba at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games in July. She also earned gold in the Canadian Native senior fastball championships.

“Sometimes I have people come up to me and it makes me realize ‘Wow, that was a busy summer,’” Stinson said. “It’s a crazy feeling to be able to have those opportunities as well.”

The next one will be equally impressive. Stinson heads to Mayville in August, and can’t wait.

“I’m very excited,” Stinson said.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson