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For the past several years, Coffee County’s Ella Arnold has been making her presence felt on the softball field as a player for the Lady Raiders. Now, she will get the chance to make her mark at the collegiate level starting next season.

Arnold signed her national letter of intent Wednesday afternoon to continue her academic and athletic careers at Roane State Community College in Harriman, making it official at the Coffee County Central High School library surrounded by family, friends, coaches and teammates.

“It feels amazing. I’m very excited for this next level and I’m just so excited to see what’s coming,” Arnold said. “Roane State, they’re building a great program right now and I think that the future of Roane State’s gonna be really bright.”

Roane State is led by head coach Marty McDaniel, who has been with the team for three seasons. The program’s direction under McDaniel, along with the rest of the Roane State coaching staff, played a role in Arnold making the decision to sign with the Lady Raiders.

Her familiarity with some of the other incoming players that McDaniel is bringing onboard impacted Arnold’s decision-making as well.

“Coach McDaniel, he has been an assistant coach at big SEC schools and he’s been coaching for Roane for a couple of years now,” Arnold said. “He’s recruiting really good people and I’m so excited. There’s a couple of people that I know that are going to go play at Roane and they’re ballers, so I’m so excited just to go play with them and continue just playing.”

Off the field, Arnold plans to pursue a career in occupational therapy.

Arnold added that she was thankful for her faith as well as her family for helping her reach this milestone.

“I want to thank God first and foremost. He’s given me everything and He always will,” Arnold said. “I want to thank my parents, my mom, my dad, and my brother. They really have just supported me all throughout the way.”