UPDATE:
Local student Mesha Johnson is back in Caldwell after competing in the Southwest Region of Team USA softball games.
She was named to the team, making her the first team from the city to make it.
Johnson played right fielder and went up to bat in at least four games in Oklahoma, helping her team place fifth overall.
She will play in the upcoming season at Caldwell Junior High School and will continue to play for travel teams like the Bomber National Gold Garcia 18U team.
Her schedule of games for this season are:
- Sept. 7-8 — Proform Fall Exposure in Brenham
- Sept. 21-22 — Diamond CTX Fall Showcase in Axtell
- Oct. 12-13 — Fall Exposure Warm-up at Collins Park in Spring
- Oct. 18-20 — Ronald Macdonald in Houston
- Nov. 8-10 — Bombers Exposure Elite in College Station
- Nov. 16-17 — Tarleton Showcase in Stephenville
- Dec. 7-8 — Winter Wonderland Showcase at Collins Park in Spring
PREVIOUS STORY:
A local Caldwell student is heading to softball tournament Oklahoma in August after being named to the Southwest Region of Team USA for the sport.
- 13-year-old Mesha Johnson is training to play in Oklahoma City after gaining a spot on the Southwest Region of Team USA softball team.
- She's one of the first girls from Caldwell to earn the achievement after trying out against 84 other girls from Texas, Oklahoma and other surrounding areas.
- Mesha will play shortstop against other regional teams on August 8 to 11 in Oklahoma City.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Mesha Johnson has been playing softball year-round since she was four-years-old.
"I got into softball by watching my brother play baseball growing up," she said.
Now, she's preparing to be part of one of the biggest teams of her career — the Southwest Region of Team USA.
"It's definitely an honor to be on the USA team as a 13-year-old from Caldwell," Johnson said.
Her coach, Craig Maresh, says it's not an easy feat, especially as one of the first teens to earn it.
"You have to think like all these girls in the state of Texas and Oklahoma and the surrounding areas, they all want to spot on that team, and for Mesha to go out there and try out with 84 girls and to make it, I mean, it's just — it's almost like winning the lottery, you know, it's a lot of people want it, but how many actually make it," he said.
She'll be playing shortstop against other regional teams in a tournament with her teammates cheering her on along the way.
"I'm just so proud of her because she was noticed, and she was picked out of all of the girls that were there," Emily Smith, one of Mesha's teammates, said.
"I think it's a really big deal for her. It's gonna help her with her recruiting process, and I'm really proud of her," Karli Maresh, another teammate said.
But she tells me she's not letting up on her training.
"And I'm just not going to let off the gas and work as hard as I can," Johnson said.
She believes it's the next step to a spot in the pros.
"I feel like it's going to help me, like, for my future. I'm just really excited," she said.
