BY MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
Hanna softball player Ariana Arceneaux will be a key for the Lady Golden Eagles during her senior season.
While the senior outfielder doesn’t know what her final season will bring when it starts in the next couple of months, she does know she will be a college athlete when it’s all said and done.
Arceneaux signed her letter of intent to play softball with Mount Mercy University Wednesday afternoon at the Hanna High School auditorium.
Mount Mercy is an NAIA school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and is a part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
For the Hanna senior, choosing Mount Mercy wasn’t just about having a chance to play softball at a collegiate level, it was about academics and the feel of the environment.
“ When I first went on a visit, I really liked how everyone was very involved with the school,” Arceneaux said. “I also was looking for a good nursing program. They showed me around that (program) and that’s what made me fall in love with the school. Then I met the team and it made me fall even more in love with it so I decided to commit.”
Arceneaux still has he senior season to play, but that won’t be for a couple of months, but having her future figured out right now helps takes some of the strain off her for the upcoming season.
“ It’s good for me because now I won’t have to be running around like crazy and I know what I want,” she said. “If you know, then you know. I knew this was the school for me so I thought I should (sign) now that way I could go throught he rest of my senior year comfortably.”
As a junior, Arceneaux was one of the top hitters for Hanna.
She was 29 for 73 from the plate for a .397 average, with a team-high 15 RBI and three home runs before being an All District 32-6A first-team selection.
She will join the Mount Mercy Mustangs, who posted a winning record last season, going 33-25 and qualifying for the Heart of America conference tournament.
Arceneaux believes her success at the plate can help her have an immediate impact for a team that recorded a .344 average with 52 home runs in 58 games.
“ I think I can have an impact because the team is mainly full of slappers,” she said. “I consider myself a power hitter so for them to add one of those can help me make that big impact.”