“One of Boscobel’s best is now taking her skills to the SEC!”
That was the introduction leading into a sports segment on WKBT-TV in La Crosse last week, which covered the National Letter of Intent signing day for Gretta Grassel at Boscobel High School.
Grassel, a three-time SWAL Player of the Year and threetime WFSCA All-State selection to the first team, officially joined the Mississippi State Bulldogs softball program by signing Thursday at a packed assembly in Boscobel’s middle-high school gym. “It feels surreal,” Grassel said after the signing, which was attended by the entire middle and high school. “I committed last September, and it didn’t feel as real as it does now.”
Grassel, who was surrounded by family, coaches, and her softball teammates at the signing, said she chose Mississippi State after a long recruiting process because it felt like home.
“When I went down there for my visit, the people and the community, it felt like home,” Grassel explained. “The population there is not very big, which felt a lot like where I grew up in a small town.”
Starkville, Miss., the home to Mississippi State, has a population of 24,657. That makes it roughly twice the size of Platteville and about the same size as Stevens Point or Superior, which also have four-year universities.
Grassel said that in addition to new and modern facilities, the ability to communicate with her coaches and make friends with her future teammates quickly were also factors in her decision.
“I can come off as a little shy,” Grassel said, “The coachto- player communication was really important to me.”
One thing that Grassel said was an example of that was how the head coach, Samantha Ricketts, scheduled one-onone time with every student– athlete each week, whether it was for coffee, a meal, or something else that the player wanted to do.
While the softball accolades are impressive, Grassel has also earned seven academic all-conference awards across the three sports she plays, earned the WBCA’s Academic Excellence Award last year, and is a part of multiple clubs and activities at Boscobel. Grassel said that community support in Boscobel has been great.
“I cannot thank our community enough for coming out and supporting us Boscobel girls through the cold and the snow and the wind; it’s not easy to sit through seven innings of softball,” Grassel said. “Our community is amazing and they really just came out and supported all of us girls.”
During her signing day ceremony, heartfelt speeches were given by her coaches, Claire Waltz-U’ren of Boscobel softball, Erik Kinney of Boscobel basketball, and her pitching coach, Doug Gardner. Each coach praised Grassel’s graciousness and work ethic, as well as her impact on the programs she worked in.
Grassel’s speech to the assembled students, pep band, coaches and family members was a thank-you letter, particularly to her parents, Corey and Penny, as well as her sisters, Olivia and Ava. She also thanked her Boscobel teammates and coaches, who she posed for photos with after the signing, and her travel team coaches at Midwest Speed and Top Gun 18U National.
Grassel wrapped up her speech to the other students at Boscobel with encouragement for them to find their passion and follow it.
“If you have a dream, chase it; no matter what it is, go for it, because you never know what could happen,” Grassel said. “I know each and every one of you in this room is good at something, so I encourage you to find that thing and run with it.”
After playing this coming spring for her senior season at Boscobel, Grassel will head to Mississippi State, where she will wear #1 and play outfield and also pitch for the Bulldogs. She plans on majoring in business administration and marketing.
