"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Three Sequoyah Softball Players

Three members of the Sequoyah Schools’ varsity fast-pitch softball team will sign letters of intent to play softball at Rogers State University in Claremore on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. in Sequoyah Schools’ The Place Where They Play.

Haylee Beck, Cortney Glass and Taylor Ashton Parent have all had bats and softballs in their hands since the age of three. Now their favorite pastime will pave the way to their future. All three girls are receiving full scholarships to Rogers State University to cover their tuition, books, housing and fees in exchange for their service to the RSU fast-pitch softball team. This is the first time in Sequoyah Schools’ history that three athletes have signed scholarship letters of intent on the same day, in the same sport.

“I knew that if I was going to have to pay for college, it was going to be really hard for my family,” said Beck. “This is a way for me to pay for it and not have to worry about it.”

RSU is a NAIA Division 1 school that enrolls nearly 4,000 students every year and is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference.

Beck has played in the catcher position for the Sequoyah fast-pitch softball team for four years. She is 17 years old and is the daughter of Lorne and Stephanie Beck of Salina. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and has received the honor of an All-Region softball player. She plans to major in secondary education.

Glass, 18, is the daughter of Leonard and Angelia Glass of Wyandotte. She is both Wyandotte and Cherokee. Glass is a softball pitcher and was recently featured on the cover of Green Country Sports magazine. She was named Most Valuable Player by the Muskogee Daily Phoenix and is an All-State award winner. She plans to major in nursing.

Parent, 17, is the daughter of Carla and Toby Parent of Warner. She is new to the Sequoyah fast-pitch team, joining after transferring to Sequoyah her junior year from Vian High School. Parent was named an All-Region player in 2009 and a member of the All Phoenix softball team. She plans to be a pre-medicine major.

All three of the girls credit their softball coach, Jeff Turtle, for their accomplishment.

“Coach Turtle teaches us work ethics,” Beck said. “He drives you to be your best.”

“He helped us with everything,” Parent said. “If I hadn’t come to school at Sequoyah, I know that I would not have received this scholarship. Coach Turtle wants us to achieve more and he encourages us in everything that we do.”

Turtle has been a teacher at Sequoyah for 15 years and has coached football, baseball and softball during his tenure, and has taken many of his teams to the state tournament, including this year’s fast-pitch softball team.

For more information on the Sequoyah Schools’ fast-pitch softball program, contact Jeff Turtle by phone: 918-453-5400 or by email: jeff-turtle@cherokee.org.