Wildcat standout, Morgan, has a blast in Hawaii tourney

Published 8:21 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

It was quite an adventure for one local high school softball player over the holiday break in Hawaii.

Mount Si junior infielder Katie Morgan participated in the TourneySport USA invitational tournament in Honolulu, and her team finished well.

“It was the best experience ever and I would never take it back for the world,” said Morgan.

According to the TourneySport USA Web site, Morgan’s team, Kapalua, finished second in their pool during round-robin play and third overall. The team, coached by a woman from Lafayette, La., consisted of a number of players from all over the eastern and midwestern United States, but also included one player from Federal Way. There were several other players from Washington who participated, including a couple of Eastsiders. Underscoring the international flavor of the competition, players from Canada and as far away as Australia also participated.

Morgan’s participation in the competition, though, didn’t come without a lot of late fundraising. Morgan needed $4,000 to compete, which she was able to secure. A lot of people came forward to help.

“I got a couple of businesses [to help] and I’m still actually getting a couple of raffles that are going for me that will help me. My grandparents helped a lot, too, but I was able to get it all,” Morgan said.

She also thanked those who supported her.

“I want to thank everybody for their support and it really means a lot to have the Valley support me in everything I do and I just really hope that you guys all come out and watch us play a little softball here at Mount Si because were going to have a solid season,” Morgan said.

Not all the time spent in Hawaii was playing softball. Despite some unfriendly weather, the athletes did some sightseeing.

“We did a lot of group activities and it was raining a lot of the days, but we were able to go to Pearl Harbor, hike Diamond Head and we spent a couple of days on the beach,” Morgan said. “It was really a fun time and we made the best of it, even with the poor weather.”

Morgan remains open about her college future, despite the lack of interest at the tournament.

“There weren’t too many college scouts down there, but we’ll see,” she said.

Morgan wants to see more Mount Si players get this opportunity and take advantage of it.

“I would definitely recommend it. It is an amazing experience and its something that will seriously stick with you for the rest of your life,” she said.

Practices for Mount Si spring sports, including softball, are set to start March 1. The Wildcat state 3A runner-up fast pitch softball team is tentatively set to open play with a non-counting exhibition jamboree March 19 featuring Mount Si, Kingco 3A rival Liberty and Kingco 4A power Redmond.

All Wildcat home softball games in 2005 will once again be held at Snoqualmie’s Centennial Fields.