Glendora, CA - The Citrus College Lady Owls are sending a player on to the four-year level on scholarship for the first time after it was announced this week that freshman first-baseman Karlee Trione is headed to play for New Mexico Highlands University.
Trione earned All-Western State Conference Honorable Mention in 2006 after batting .279 with 18 RBI and 19 runs scored. She hit .333 in conference and had a 0.00 ERA in a pair of trips to the mound. Opponents batted just .214 against her.
The freshman credits WSC Coach of the Year Jackie Boxley for preparing her to move onto the next level and forgoing her second season with the Lady Owls. “Jackie is everything to me,” said Trione. “I think she did more than I did to get me a scholarship. She pushed me harder than any coach has and she really cares about her players. Even though she didn’t want me to leave Citrus early, she still helped me because she knew that this is what I wanted to do.”
The biggest factor in Trione’s decision to leave was the aggressive nature of the Cowgirls first-year head coach Jimmy Hernandez. The team struggled in his first campaign, but Karlee feels that Hernandez is “determined to win. He has a passion for seeing the team continue to improve.” NWHU, an NCAA Division II school located in Las Vegas, New Mexico, was 6-38 in 2006. The Cowgirls play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Trione is also excited about getting away from Southern California. “I’m going to a small town, so I think I’ll be less distracted and able to focus on school and softball next year.”