Elisa Cecchetti played her high-school softball career in her home country of Italy. Despite playing abroad, Cecchetti received interest from multiple college teams in the United States.
After careful deliberation, she decided to further her athletic and academic career at Tallahassee Community College.
“I had to pick between a couple schools and I was told TCC had a good program for education and then they talked really [well] about Coach Patti,” Cecchetti said on choosing TCC.
Cecchetti got off to a successful start at the college level. She finished second on the team in hits (39) and batting average (.322) as a freshman. The Eagles finished just 21-23 on the season, but Cecchetti had an uptick in confidence because of her success. She carried her momentum into the offseason and continued to put in the time to become a better all-around player.
“I’ve been working on my conditioning and my strength, which is really important when you start playing 30, 40, 50 games in a season,” Cecchetti said. “I started working on my consistency at bat, like one game I’d have four hits and the next zero, so I’m working on that.”
Cecchetti’s hard work seems to have paid off as she has already surpassed her offensive totals from last season. With post-season play on the horizon, Cecchetti leads the team in hits with 49. She also has scored 29 runs and stolen 7 bases, which ties her for second on the team in those categories. Her 27 RBIs (runs batted in) are the third best on the Eagles roster.
Assistant softball coach Randi Ashworth recognizes that Cecchetti brings more to the team than just a strong bat.
“She has that next level competitiveness. She has a really strong work ethic,” Ashworth said. “When we’re struggling with energy in games, she brings it to us.”
Though her time as an Eagle has almost concluded, Cecchetti will always remember what head coach Patti Townsend has instilled in her.
“The most important thing is that without hard work you’re not going to get anywhere. Hard work and sacrifice are going to take you to where you want to go.”
Cecchetti’s strong play over her two seasons at TCC garnered attention from four-year colleges and she has committed to the University of South Carolina Upstate to finish her collegiate career.
“I’m happy to finish my second year of college but I for sure will miss the team, my coaches, being an Eagle, and playing for TCC.”
