Karaline Randazzo committed to continue her softball career with Texas College during an afternoon ceremony at Westgate High School on Monday.

Randazzo, who graduated from Westgate in May, was one of the Lady Tiger’s top performers this season despite suffering an ACL injury at the end of her junior year.

Despite the setback, the all-around infielder was determined to make her return to the team. Assistant principal and coach Kristi Romero said that Randazzo’s arrival is already highly anticipated by her coaches at Texas College.

“She deserves it,” Romero said. “I know that she is going to make a huge impact at the next level. I brought her to her visit and whenever she got there, the coach was immediately eager to talk with her. You can tell that the coach had really paid attention to some small details from her videos. They’re excited for her to show up and start working with the team and potentially start as a freshman, which is really exciting for her.”

Randazzo said that she is excited to be able to play at the next level, something that she had written off as a possibility following her injury.

“It makes me proud of myself because just a year ago I didn’t think that I would be in this position,” she said. “I accepted that high school was going to be it. It’s nerve-wracking, but at the same time, I’m proud of myself. We had to send out a few skills videos, but this coach (at Texas College) asked for a skills video and we didn’t hear back from her for two weeks. All of a sudden, out of the blue, she asked me to come visit and I felt like the school was going to be a good fit for me.”

Randazzo is a capable player in several positions, but according to Romero she is at her best as a shortstop.

“She played everywhere at Westgate,” Romero explained. “She’s a utility player, but her best position is shortstop. She’s also a pitcher and the coach at Texas College told her that she will still pitch. Whenever she tore her ACL last year she played first base just to be on the field and she’s played third base and center field on her travel ball team.”

Romero also wanted to highlight the work that athletic director Ryan Antoine has done to foster a culture of academic and athletic excellence at Westgate.

“It’s amazing to see the things that coach (Ryan) Antoine is able to do,” she said. “He instills into the athletic program that it isn’t just about wins and losses here, it’s about what our student-athletes are able to get out of their time and what they are able to do to further their athletic and academic goals. To see that transition happen not just to the male side but also to the female side is great. We have five or six girls from the team that came out, even though it’s the summer, to see her sign and they know that they can do it too.”

Randazzo, holding back tears, said that she wanted to thank everyone who has supported her throughout her softball career, especially those who lifted her up during her injury and recovery.

“I want to thank all of my coaches, my parents, and my sister,” she said. “Really everyone that got me through last year. I couldn’t have done it without them.”