When Jasmine Holloman started her travel softball career at the 12U level, she was quickly ready to call it quits.

“I wanted to give up because I just didn’t think I was going to be good enough to make it to college,” she said.

Now as a senior at King’s Fork High School, she thinks quite differently, as do many others, including the coaches at Winston-Salem State University.

During a ceremony that involved her family, friends and coaches on Wednesday at King’s Fork, she signed to play college softball for the Lady Rams.

“It’s really special for me, just knowing where I came from and where I’m at now,” Holloman said.

In addition to being a standout for King’s Fork at shortstop, she currently plays travel ball for the Richmond Ruckus. Previously, she has played for the Virginia Lady Eagles and the Virginia Legends.

She said her initial exposure to softball came in Bennett’s Creek Little League when she was 7 years old. She said it was probably during her time with BCLL that she first set the goal of playing in college.

When her older softball-playing sister, Lindsey Holloman, started getting college interest, it motivated Jasmine as part of their sibling rivalry. The elder Holloman ended up choosing the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Jasmine Holloman was able to benefit from her sister’s experience in the college recruiting process.

“She helped me out a lot because I was going back and forth, and I couldn’t really decide which one I really wanted to go to,” Jasmine Holloman said. “And I called her, and she was just like, ‘Whichever one made you feel the most comfortable. You’ll know it when you get up there.’”

Among the schools the younger Holloman was considering were Randolph College, University of Mary Washington, Towson University and University of Mount Olive.

“Initially, I thought I wanted a big school, and going to big schools, I realized that’s not what I wanted at all,” she said. “And when I got to Winston-Salem, it’s like a really small school, but it has a big school feel, and it just felt like home.”

Holloman gave special thanks to her dad, Johnwyn Holloman, for his impact on her development.

“He’s definitely been there through everything, and he’s taught me how to work hard and be determined and to really get through the obstacles,” she said.

He put the spotlight squarely on her, noting that her signing with WSSU was “just a testament to her hard work. Obviously, as a father, I’m very proud of her.”

As her coach, both in travel ball and as an assistant at King’s Fork, he gave her the same speech as he did his other players.

“Here’s your homework,” he said he told her and her teammates. “We only practice a couple times during the week, so these are things that you have to do on your own to become a better ball player if you want to really succeed and be successful and play collegiate softball.”

She did her homework, and she said she was motivated to do it “just knowing that there’s other people that are out there that are much better than I am and I want to reach that level.”

Lady Bulldogs coach Richard Froemel, who led the signing ceremony, said, “I’m happy for her. She deserves everything that she’s getting.”

He said that at Winston-Salem State, “She’s going to lead by example, she’s intelligent, she’s fast, she’s got quick hands, good bat.”

She will be receiving partial athletic and academic scholarships. In the classroom, she plans to major in nursing, and on the softball field, she has been told she will play primarily at second base.