Garnering the attention to play Division I college sports is tough for Beaufort County’s athletes. Kaley Coltrain overcame not only those odds when she signed her national letter of intent Wednesday to continue her softball career at Marist starting next year.

The senior catcher is a homeschool student. She attracted college scouts thanks to her performance in travel softball leagues. Marist saw her playing with the Wildcards at a tournament in Florida.

“I had a couple of good shots and that’s what got them interested. I was super nervous,” Coltrain said of speaking with the Marist coaching staff. “I never in a million years thought I would go to a school in New York, but I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the coaches. They’ve got a good program up there.”

Initially, Coltrain was a bit apprehensive. She thought Marist would be in the city. The Poughkeepsie, New York college is about 90 minutes from New York City, which Coltrain is a fan of.

That should make the move a bit less of a culture shock. Coltrain said that the Red Foxes will be bringing in another recruit from Apex.

“It’s going to be nice to have someone else with the same accent,” she said.

That’s about where the nerves end. Coltrain is eager to wrap up her final year of prep softball so that she can make this leap to Division I competition.

“I’m actually not really nervous about anything,” she said. “I’m super excited. It’s another step in my life. I honestly can’t wait.”

She added that Marist expects her to remain a catcher. Although her defensive capabilities behind the plate and leadership have been touted, it was her batting prowess she said first caught the eyes of scouts.

In fact, that leadership is the one thing she can always rely on when the game isn’t going her way.

“I always try to be myself. I always try to be a leader,” Coltrain said. “When my bat’s not there, or my defense isn’t there, I just try to be a leader for everybody else and pump them up. That’s what I try to stick with. I want to bring that leadership, even as a freshman.”

Coltrain will play for Unity Christian Academy this coming spring. Coach Ashley Harris is looking forward to adding her to the team, if only for one season.

“I’m tickled to death to have her come along and play for us for one year,” he said. “I think it will be a great experience. I’ve seen her play before. She’s good. … It’s incredible. She didn’t even play high school last year, other than her travel tournaments. For her to get that much recognition and notice … I think it’s fantastic.”