PREP UPDATE: Trinity's Causey signs with Covenant College; Catholic softball tops Trinity
With her family looking on, Emily Causey signed with Covenant College to play basketball. (Tim Gayle)
COMBINED REPORTS
It wasn’t surprising that Ellie Causey shared Wednesday’s spotlight with her sisters Emory and Lizzy.
The triplets, after all, have been inseparable since birth, even as volleyball and basketball standouts at Trinity Presbyterian.
On Wednesday, the trio shared the stage again at a signing ceremony for Ellie, who will travel alone to Lookout Mountain, Ga., to play basketball for Covenant College while Emory and Lizzy follow their own path as college students this fall at Auburn.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Ellie Causey admitted. “I feel like it’ll be kind of sad because this is the first time we’ve split up but I think it’ll be good. I think we need some separation.”
Causey entertained an offer from second-year Covenant College coach Tonya McIntosh, dismissed it, then reconsidered after missing the offseason workouts in the gym.
“(Trinity) Coach Blake (Smith) reached out in the fall and I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do it,’” Causey said. “So I told her no and after basketball season was over, I was like, kind of miss it, so I called her back. I asked her if I could come, if there was a spot, and she said yes.”
Causey went over 1,000 career points this past season after starting her career at Briarwood Christian before transferring to Trinity and becoming a valuable perimeter shooter for the Wildcats. And while she wasn’t always positive a collegiate career is what she wanted to do, Smith believes Causey has the right mindset to succeed.
“She’s wired for the process,” he said. “It’s the day-in, day-out grind that she enjoys. And that’s one of the things that I look at when you’re pushing someone to play because you know it’s a grind. And she actually thrives in that and enjoys that.”
On Wednesday, after completing a signing ceremony in front of family, friends and teammates in the Trinity gym, she felt some relief that signing day was finally over.
“It’s like the final moment, I’m doing this, because I’ve been rocking back and forth on decisions,” she said, “but I think now this is where I’m going and this is what I’m supposed to do.”
SOFTBALL: Catholic 19, Trinity 3
Four Catholic players hit home runs as the Knights blasted Trinity 19-3 in a four-inning game at Catholic on Wednesday.
Rylee Wilcoxson went 3 for 3 with a home run and a triple, driving in six runs to lead the assault. Haley Ishman went 2 for 2 with a triple and a home run, driving in two runs, Peyton Dees went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs and Jaidyn Simmons went 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs as part of a 17-hit attack.
Anna Hill went 2 for 2 with a triple and an RBI, Kallie Hampton went 2 for 2 with an RBI, Hayden Fitts went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and Kamryn Iverson went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs.
Destini Hartman picked up the win in the circle, allowing six hits and three earned runs in four innings of work.