Cranston West senior softball players Meg Anderson and Olivia Conti made their college decisions official, as Anderson will be suiting up to play for Division II University of New Haven next spring and Conti heading to Division III Emmanuel College in Boston.

For Anderson, New Haven provided her a chance to play in a competitive environment while also receiving a solid education in her field of interest.

“With the University of New Haven, when I toured, I fell in love with the school. I am also going into criminal justice and they’re huge in that, so that was a determining factor. [Playing in] Division II was a goal of mine because I knew that I also wanted to really focus on my studies, but I also wanted to play competitive softball. I made the decision to go after it, I made contact with the coach, and I was able to go to the school that I loved,” said Anderson.

Despite not having her senior season in high school to fine tune her skills, Anderson plans on continuing to work hard off the field in preparation for the next level. She expects to face high-caliber pitching next spring.

“I expect the biggest difference between high school and college to be the pitch speed. In high school, you see a big variation between slow and fast, where in college, everyone is fast and a lot more consistent,” said Anderson.

Conti was not very familiar with Emmanuel prior to her visit, but was attracted to the school as soon as she stepped foot on campus.

“I really liked the area of the college. I fell in love with it. I didn’t know too much about the school before I knew that it was going to be an option for me, so when I went up there and toured there, I fell in love with it and being in Boston,” said Conti, who also expects a jump in competition.

“I definitely think that the competition is going to be way different from high school. Everyone will be at or above my level. I’m excited though, I can't wait to get out there and play the sport that I love,”

Both Anderson and Conti are excited to take the next step, but will miss their time playing for the Falcons at West.

“I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities that I have been given by [West] Coach Jeff [Smith] and Cranston West. I have made really incredible bonds with people that I will have for the rest of my life. Being able to play under Coach Jeff and the rest of the coaching staff has been incredible. I couldn't have asked for a better high school experience with these coaches and the girls, it’s been an amazing three years with them,” said Anderson.

“I’m going to remember the girls. They were great, I couldn’t have asked for better people to play with. Especially when I was a sophomore and seeing that freshmen class behind me grow into the people and players that they are, it has been great to see,” Conti added.

AT THE DISH: Olivia Conti at bat last spring. (Submitted photo)