Reusche is a Mustang now

Aaron Crutchfield/Atascadero News • Atascadero High School softball standout Ashlee Reusche, second from left, has committed to Cal Poly for softball. She is pictured during her signing ceremony on Thursday with, from left, dad Ryan, mom Candy and brother R.J.

ATASCADERO — Atascadero High School third baseman Ashlee Reusche has committed to play softball at Cal Poly.

She made the commitment official in a ceremony Thursday, although it had been unofficial for quite some time.

“I was planning on going other places for scholarship money and for other reasons,” Reusche said. “But when I found out I got in with my grades, I was really happy, and at the last minute, I decided to go to Cal Poly, even if I’m not playing softball. Then began the recruiting and talking to them, and having them watch my games.”

She will walk on initially, with the possibility of earning a scholarship later. Morro Bay High boys basketball standout Dylan Royer did the same thing with the Cal Poly men’s basketball team, walking on and eventually earning a scholarship.

The closeness to home is something Reusche said she likes, with her friends and family being just a hop over the Cuesta Grade away.

“It makes me really happy,” Reusche said. “I know my dad would be at every game anyway, and so would my mom, but now they don’t have to travel and spend the money, because they’re already spending money on me going to school.”

The Mustangs look like they could use Reusche’s help at the plate after suffering through a 13-36 season. As a team, the Mustangs batted .230 in 2012. Reusche batted .477 as a senior for AHS, notably going 2-for-6 in two games against Fresno State signee Jillian Compton of Arroyo Grande, and 2-for-3 in one game against Cal signee Nisa Ontiveros of Ridgeview-Bakersfield.

“I’m going to start in the fall and see how it goes,” Reusche said. “They said that as long as I’m hitting, I should have a chance to be in the field.”

Although her position isn’t yet set in stone, she’s able to play in a variety of places. She played third base in high school, and played second and shortstop for her travel ball team.

While at Cal Poly, she will major in sociology.

“What I want to do is take that into a master’s program of occupational therapy, and work with kids with Asperger’s and autism,” Reusche said. “That’s my main goal in life.”