Official Site of the Corona Angels 18Gold - Howard

This podcast first aired April 6, 2011
ESPN Recruiting Update segment of
the Georgia vs Kentucky telecast

---------------------------------

Click on image below to view podcast

This article first appeared
April 8, 2011
Sparks Tribune

------------------------------

Tribune photo by John Byrne - Reed High senior Destinee Levesque (left) signs a letter of intent to play softball at Fresno State while her mother, Robin, looks on.

A Reed High senior saw all her hard work on the softball diamond pay off in a big way Friday afternoon. Destinee Levesque will graduate from Reed in less than two months and then she'll be gearing up for a college career at Fresno State.

The Raiders softball standout assured herself of that when she signed her national letter of intent to play at Fresno State during a ceremony in the east Sparks school's gym Friday.

"I'm extremely excited," Levesque said. "I'm looking forward to playing games. I'm looking forward to playing with teammates there. The program's been so good. I'm looking forward to new experiences and learning new things."

Levesque said Fresno State had been her first choice in college options for a few years, but initially the Bulldogs did not show much interest. She had received interest from Weber State, Loyola Marymount, Longwood and was set to sign with Temple until Fresno State changed its tune.

"Fresno was my first choice for a long time. They kind of turned me down at first. They already had enough pitchers. Then something happened and they had an opportunity to come watch me pitch again and they offered.

"When I was little, Fresno State was the first campus that I really got to go see and watch a game at. The atmosphere was so great. it was like a professional game. There were so many people there to support the team … This is a good opportunity for me."

Levesque was named a High Desert League first-team all-star after both her junior and sophomore seasons. She was 13-5 with a 1.73 ERA last spring.

A leg injury stifled her preseason work during the early going of this season, but she appears to be quickly gaining midseason form. She fired a two-hit shutout and struck out 14 against North Valleys last weekend, and on Wednesday, she struck out 11 in a 3-0 victory over perennially tough Douglas.

It's no surprise to first-year Reed softball coach Jon Wunder that Levesque will move on to pitch beyond the prep level.

"She started at such a young age. The first time I coached her was on a traveling summer team and she was 8," Wunder said. " She has consistently applied herself and given up a lot of free time. She's put in the extra effort and deserves everything she gets.

"I've coached her for so long, I've probably got a different bond with her than some of the other (Reed) kids. It definitely makes you feel good to know you contributed in a way to the road she's on now."

Levesque has some proud parents. The senior hurler and her family have talked at length about the opportunities a college scholarship offers.

"We've pretty much talked that this is her job," Levesque's mother Robin said. "She gets to go have fun and play softball and that pays for her education. We're pretty excited about that."

Levesque plans to study child psychology and social work at Fresno State.

Reed High athletic director Ron Coombs said Friday's ceremony is one of the many perks of his job.

"The best thing is we get a chance to recognize our kids' accomplishments," he said. "She gets a chance to play a sport at the next level. That's a rare thing and should be recognized. I've talked to a lot of other AD's and one of the best parts of our job is celebrating the kids."