On July 31, 2021 senior softball player Kaelan Schultz’s lifelong dream came true. Schultz plays as a third baseman for the Nebraska Gold 18U softball team, and she contributed to winning a national championship.
Schultz is committed to South Dakota State University to play D1 softball next fall. Schultz has always had big dreams of winning a national championship.
“I dreamt of that day, I wanted to get it so bad and this year with the team we had was the year to do it. I dream big and to see it come to life makes me feel accomplished,” Schultz said.
In those ten days, Nebraska Gold played a total of 14 games, including the championship game. The day before the championship game, they played four games back to back.
An accomplishment this big was very surreal for Schultz and the rest of the team. “Everyone cried and it felt so great after the long summer to have it end like that. It ended perfectly” Schultz said.
The dreamlike experience didn’t stop at the tournament.
“We later came home and we were all surprised by the younger Nebraska Gold girls. They wanted us to sign autographs and take pictures, I felt like a celebrity. It made me feel like I was the older girl that little girls look up to, because I was that girl once upon a time” Schultz said.
Over the years, Schultz has had to travel a lot for her sport. This summer, she got to go to California for the national championship tournament. This was a whole new experience for her.
“It was crazy to be there. I saw so many palm trees instead of corn fields!” Schultz said.
Schultz was there for ten days with her family. They stayed in an Airbnb and when they were off the field, they went to Disney and also frequently visited the beach.
Schultz is sad to close the door on her high school softball career, but she is excited to have one more season with some of her lifelong teammates at Hastings High.
Schultz said, “We are working harder this season and we all are determined to leave it all out on the field. This will be a season to remember for me and everyone.”
When she visited, SDSU felt like home to Schultz. The coaches and the team culture made her happy, which led her to commit last year, during her junior year. She is looking forward to starting college there next fall.
“Everything has been a blessing and I am so grateful for the opportunity to play D1 softball” Schultz said.
