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Coffee County softball’s Yeidy Cruz always knew that she wanted to play softball at the collegiate level if given the opportunity. This goal has now been reached.

Cruz signed her letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at Motlow State Community College Thursday afternoon, holding her ceremony at the Coffee County Central High School library surrounded by loved ones, teammates and coaches.

“I’m actually very excited. I always wanted to play college, even as a kid it was my dream,” Cruz said. “I was finally able to get in contact with Motlow. I went to some camps, a bit of tournaments there and I really enjoyed it.”

Cruz added that the coaching staff at Motlow stood out to her over the course of her decision-making process. The program is currently led by Janice Morey, who is entering her 10^th season at the helm of the Bucks.

In addition to Motlow’s coaches, Cruz said the overall team culture stood out to her as well.

“The coaches are very good. They’re supportive, they’re very happy. They just stand out whenever you’re in the field watching them. They make the whole game worth it,” Cruz said. “The team, it’s very nice. Everyone’s supportive. They cheer, they’re loud and they’re very proud of what they do.”

Off the field, Cruz plans to follow in her father’s footsteps and pursue a career in construction management.

She was thankful for her faith, as well as her family, friends and coaches, for helping her get to this point.

“I thank God, because He gave me strength to be able to do what I do and what I have right now. He gave me a lot of strength. I was nervous at first through a lot of this stuff, but without Him, we wouldn’t have all of this stuff,” Cruz said. “(I’m thankful to) my parents for pushing me, my coaches for supporting me and giving me confidence, the confidence that I have today, and all my friends for always being there for me.”