ISLE OF WIGHT
Isle of Wight athlete Trish Webb recently signed a national letter of intent to play softball at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartansburg, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Johnny and Cheryl Webb of Suffolk.

“My dream was to play college softball ever since I was little,” she told The Suffolk News-Herald after she committed last December.

Webb will play her fifth year of varsity softball at Isle of Wight, where she is coached by Chris Hooper and Jill Edwards. She has established herself as one of the most dominant pitchers in Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II softball.

She was an All-VISAA softball performer in 2014 and 2015, and also captured the Metro Athletic Conference Player of the Year in both years. Webb has also been an all-conference selection in volleyball.

Webb joins a successful NCAA Division I program. South Carolina Upstate had 44 wins last year, breaking 64 team or individual school records along the way. The Spartans finished the year ranked among the nation’s statistical leaders in the final statistical ranking released by the NCAA.

South Carolina Upstate has also garnered respect in the national polls, receiving votes in both the USA Today and ESPN final polls.

“Honestly, it’s pretty surreal,” she said. “I’ve worked my entire life for it. It’s a huge relief, and it’s exciting to think about my future. It’s great because I’m already falling in love with the school and the coaches.”

Among the reasons she chose South Carolina Upstate over a number of other potential suitors, Webb said, “They have a really good medical program, and I’m looking into going into that field.”