Warren’s starting second baseman her senior year, Yeager’s last high school at-bat would be an RBI double to left-center field. The Dragons were edged 5-4 in the District 10 Class 4A quarterfinals, and Yeager would graduate a couple of weeks later.

Yeager had the chance to continue playing at NCAA Division III Thomas College in Waterville, Maine — soccer, too — but “sometimes you have to wander a bit, and do what you don’t want to in order to figure out what it is you’re supposed to do,” said someone somewhere.

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to play softball in college because I loved the game so much,” said the former WAHS’ multi-sport athlete. “But, along with the desire of playing ball, I also have always wanted to go to college in Florida.”

Don’t think a 17 1/2-hour drive and over 1,150 miles away from Warren is completely random; Yeager has never been afraid of time and distance. She was a member of the Pittsburgh Pride travel softball team while a member of the Warren Dragons, and that meant some long trips just to practice with her team.

Photo submitted to Times Observer Rylie Yeager of Thomas College in Waterville, Maine.

“Over the summer while transitioning from a junior to senior in high school, I looked at many schools to continue my softball career,” she said. “I looked at teams in Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania and Maine. After a ton research into the softball program and academic majors at Thomas, I fell in love with the school. I toured it virtually and liked it, so my parents drove us up there over a long weekend in November 2020. After an in-person tour and chatting with the softball coach, I fell in love with it immediately. I felt like I could call Waterville, Maine my second home for the next four years. While looking at schools for softball, I also applied to a certain college in Florida that I loved from looking online. I was accepted into The University of Tampa the same weekend as I toured Thomas College. I always had this thought in the back of my head that kept me from being 100% ‘all in’ from Thomas.

“After talking to my parents about possibly touring Tampa, I was shut down and told it wasn’t an option,” Yeager added. “So, around Christmas 2020, I made the decision to commit to being a Thomas Terrier and to be a member of the softball and soccer programs. I was very happy, but there was still that thought in the back of my head that longed to at least visit Tampa before I could be satisfied with going to Thomas.

“Over Easter in 2021, my family and I flew down to visit,” she continued. “I got there and was immediately mesmerized and amazed about how pretty and perfect the school seemed. I think the dream of going to Florida for school clouded my vision of my true wants and dreams that I decommitted from Thomas and committed to Tampa. I was content with not playing ball because I thought I didn’t want that anymore. After two long months, I could see my true dreams clearly and realized that being in Florida wasn’t what I wanted; I wanted to play softball at Thomas. After watching a Tampa softball game, that dream became even more clear. I texted the coaches (at Thomas College) and they were happy to have me back on the teams and I started the transfer process. That is how I am at Thomas today.”

So, a nearly 24-hour trip and 1,500 miles later, Yeager is in Waterville, Maine playing softball (and soccer next fall) for Thomas College.

“Not being able to play or practice since mid-July of last year made me nervous jumping into playing again,” said Yeager. “I was scared that I lost my ability to hit, field and pitch. I wasn’t able to play at Tampa nor find a way to get back into it, so I had to wait until winter break before doing anything again. To my surprise, I didn’t have much dust to wipe away before getting back into the swing of things. It felt great to practice ball again. I knew I missed the sport, but I missed it more than I realized. When we played our first games, that drive I had in me just a short while ago reignited and I’ve never been happier.”

Photo submitted to Times Observer Rylie Yeager of Thomas College in Waterville, Maine.

Ironically, the literal drive for Yeager found her and her Terrier teammates right back in Florida.

“We were fortunate enough to have been able to travel to Florida over spring break for 10 games,” said Yeager, listed as a first-year pitcher and utility player wearing No. 26 for Thomas this spring. “In our regular season, we travel to other colleges in Maine along with New Hampshire and Vermont. Thomas College softball is in the North Atlantic Conference.

“The hope of getting to play another four years of the sport I love fueled my fire,” Yeager added. “Transferring to Thomas has been one the best decisions I have ever made. I am so much happier here and I love it all. I love my teammates and playing softball. We all get along so well; it’s amazing. I have made so many new friends who love the game just as much as me. I love all three coaches and they are all passionate and very intelligent coaches and they have already made me a better player. I love my classes I am taking right now. … My professors are knowledgeable people and teach what they know from experience, which is super cool. Campus is in a convenient location. There are grocery stores, restaurants and shopping stores in a close proximity. I think it is safe to say that making the move from Florida to Thomas has been a very smart decision for myself, personally.

“The field has been covered in snow so far in the season, so we haven’t been able to step foot on it yet,” Yeager said recently, “but it is very nice, and I am excited to play on it later in the season. The competition is amazing and honestly, refreshing. It is comforting knowing that your teammates and competition are all aiming toward one goal, winning. We have faced some well-rounded teams so far, some we have beat and others we just didn’t have enough. Through the losses and wins we are learning from those mistakes so we can fix them to win our conference. The speed of the game is faster than travel or high school softball, and it was overwhelming at first. I have adjusted and like the faster game because you can stay in the groove of things. I have the utmost respect for every single one of my teammates and I adore them all so much. They were very welcoming to me even starting late in the year.”

In nine games, Yeager had two hits, including a double, two RBIs and a run scored. She has walked once and hit two sacrifice flies.

Photo submitted to Times Observer Rylie Yeager of Thomas College in Waterville, Maine.

“Going from Florida to Maine, everyone warned me about the cold weather,” she said. “Honestly, I am loving it. I love the cold and being able to wear sweatshirts and sweatpants. There have been some bad snowstorms that have rolled in, but they didn’t impact me very much. My area is also super safe and I have access to about everything I could ever need.”

Another bright spot, Rylie’s parents — Shannon and Megan Yeager of Warren — are a lot closer to be able to visit and watch her play. An 11-and-some-odd-hour drive from Warren to Waterville, Maine is certainly closer than 17 1/2 hours from Warren to Tampa, Florida.

“I have never been afraid to travel great distances for the sport that I love,” said Rylie, majoring in criminal justice-forensics with a dream of one day working for the FBI. “When we went to Florida for spring training, they (Shannon and Megan) also made the trip down for a fun week of softball. It was nice and comforting knowing they were there for my first-ever college games. I played well throughout the whole week, and it made me feel more confident as a player. It has been tough, though, playing and not having my family physically present to cheer me on, but they watch the live streams and I know they are proud of me. Even though they can’t be in Maine to watch, knowing they are in my corner all the way from home fuels my drive for succeeding in everything I do here, not just the athletic side of college. They are planning to come up for Easter weekend and watch a few games, so I am stoked about that, too. It is also crazy to think I am more than halfway through the second semester of the year and softball is just around the corner. Starting April, we have a fun-filled month of games and playoffs. As tough as it has been, I am managing the distance from my family because I am following my dreams.”

And that’s all her parents want for her.

“The simple answer is that she loves to compete, and she missed that competition and being a part of a team,” said her father, Shannon. “I think she really enjoyed her senior year of high school softball, the team was successful and she had fun. However, her travel season was a disappointment, and she was ready to be done. When she was at University of Tampa, she watched a fall softball game and something clicked and she realized that she missed competing and missed being part of a team. I also think there was a part of her that wanted to prove that she could play at the collegiate level. She loves to prove people wrong.

“After watching that game, she called us in tears because she ‘made a mistake,’ and wanted to go to Thomas and play softball,” Shannon added. “We told her that if she wanted to transfer, she first needed to make sure that the coach would give her a spot; she had committed to play there in December and then changed her mind in April. She reached out and the coach told her she could have her spot. With that news, she did everything on her own — the application, setting up financial aid, housing. She even reached out to the soccer coach, and that coach offered her a spot as well, so in the fall she will be playing soccer.

“We are very proud of her and the effort she put in to get to Thomas,” Shannon continued. “She did it all on her own and I think that speaks volumes about her dedication to the sport — softball and soccer, and how much she loves to compete.”