By Henry Luzzatto

Correspondent

Two local softball players will get a chance to play their game on the college stage.

Skylar Ferguson and Brittany Wade, two players for the Emporia-based TopHand Storm, will take their years of experience to college, where they both hope to star for their teams.

“My coach has pushed me from the beginning to practice every day,” Ferguson said. “That’s how I have a chance to live my dream.”

Ferguson will be attending Garrett College, a two-year junior college in Maryland. She will be a dual-sport athlete, as she signed to play both softball and volleyball.

“College softball was my dream, but I wasn’t expecting to play volleyball, too,” she said.

Ferguson, who has played softball with TopHand for three years, signed for Garrett on July 8. She said she plans to transfer to a Division I school after finishing her time at Garrett. Ferguson credits her coaches at TopHand with giving her the idea to begin at Garrett before making the switch to a larger school.

“I wanted to start small and then go big,” she said. “That’s what the travel coaches suggested.”

Though she said she does not have a specific school she wants to attend after Garrett, Ferguson said she plans to become a nurse practitioner. She said she plans to complete her prerequisites at Garrett before moving on.

She said the key to moving on to the Division I level is hard work and persistence.

“I want to work hard and come out on top,” Ferguson said.

The other Storm alumna who will be moving on to play college softball is Brittany Wade.

Wade will be playing for Davis and Elkins College, a Division II team in Elkins, W.Va. Wade said she was excited to be playing at the college level.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” she said. “I love the campus, and I love the coach and the team a lot.”

Wade, a graduate of Windsor High School, said she chose Davis and Elkins even though she had received offers from other schools, including ones that compete in Division I softball.

She said the main reason for her choice was financial — Davis and Elkins offered her a full ride.

Wade said another contributing factor was the possibility of standing out and performing at the lower level.

“I felt that I could break records and maybe be an all-American,” she said.

Wade said she hopes to become the starting catcher at Davis and Elkins. Another lofty goal she has for her time at school is breaking the school’s home run record.

Wade, whose father, Sean Wade, coached her at TopHand, said the organization has been important to her development as a player.

“TopHand has helped me improve my skills and keep in shape for college,” she said.

Sean Wade said he was proud to have coached the two players, who will be the 20th and 21st TopHand alumni to play college softball.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “I’m excited for their education and their athletics.”

Sean Wade said TopHand was formed to offer a travel team experience for people in the rural Southampton area without having to drive all the way to Virginia Beach. He said the organization is proud to have sent so many athletes from the area to play college softball.

“It’s great to showcase how a small area can have big talents,” he said.

Sean Wade said as a coach, he is proud of his players who are moving on to bigger and better things. For his daughter, Brittany, he said he felt pride as a coach and a father.

“It’s great to see her accomplish something she always wanted to do,” he said. “We’ll be proud of her wherever her walk takes her.”