Two more Cranston West softball players committed to play in college recently, as senior Caitlin Lopez is set to play for nearby Rhode Island College and fellow senior Lauren Foley will be heading north to play for the Huskies at the University of Southern Maine.

For Lopez, she chose RIC based on the strong nursing program as well as the help he has received from RIC softball coach Brian Claypool throughout the selection process.

“It feels good to be done with the process. I had a few schools talking to me, but I just felt that RIC was the right place for me, especially since they have one of the best nursing majors in the state. Coach Claypool has been absolutely amazing throughout the whole process and he was very receptive of when I told him that I wanted to be a nursing major and he accommodates all of his players and tries to make it as comfortable as possible for his players. I know that he’ll be there for me every step of the way,” said Lopez.

Lopez is slated to pitch for the Anchorwomen, so she has been working to get her pitches down in private training in preparation for the next level.

“I play travel ball and have been at 18-U for three or four years now. I’m expecting a huge jump, all of these players are good at the college level, I’m excited to challenge myself. I’m just focusing on my strength and conditioning, I have pitching privates twice a week, so I am focusing on getting my spins down and just being as dominant as possible,” said Lopez.

Foley made the decision to head to USM after visiting the campus and enjoying her visit.

“When I looked at the University of Southern Maine, it interested me, the environment was different to me, it’s not something that I would usually be around. It’s definitely different, but different in a good way. The views, seeing the mountains, it’s a pretty school. At my overnight, I met a lot of new people and there was a lot of school spirit and I felt like I belonged there,” said Foley.

Foley will be competing for a spot in the middle infield and is also expecting a bump up in competition. She is looking forward to experiencing college life both on and off the diamond.

“I’m excited to meet new people and experience the sport at the collegiate level. I am going to be dealing with bigger, stronger girls, older girls, it will be different in pitching speed and how far the girls can hit. I’m just excited to see how different it really is,” said Foley, who will also miss her friends at West.

“I made a lot of great bonds on that team, the coaches have taught me many things, I’ll appreciate them all. I’ll miss my friends on the team, they have done so much for the seniors as well, especially with our season cut short. I’ll miss seeing them every day,” said Foley.

Lopez added: “It’s been a challenging four years, but I am grateful for the lessons it has taught me. I am going to miss my teammates the most, me and the other three girls that committed, we all grew up playing together so it is exciting to see us all go our separate ways. I know they’re all going to be successful.”