New Franklin senior Brynn Belstle said signing to play at NCAA Division I Georgia State next season is a dream come true. The Lady Bulldogs’ ace committed to play for the Panthers in Atlanta, Ga., next season with a signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

“This has been my dream for as long as I can remember,” Belstle said. “Today feels like a breath of fresh air because of how hard I’ve worked for this.”

Belstle will be the first softball player from New Franklin to ink with a DI school in 40 years. The last was Kacey Marshall in 1990.

“We were just talking about how rare that is,” said New Franklin softball coach Corey Nicholson. “It’s definitely a surreal feeling, and it couldn’t happen to a better kid.”

Moving up from Missouri Class 1 high school softball all the way to DI is quite a step. But Beltsle said playing for years on a high-level travel team helped prepare her for the next level. In fact, several of her teammates will become her opponents as they sign on to teams in the Sun Belt Conference.

“It’s a little scary, but I’ve played travel ball my whole life,” she said. “I’ve played with girls from all over the country. I think that definitely prepared me for playing at a higher level.”

Belstle sat out her junior high school season to focus on recruiting and travel ball. She settled on Georgia State because she had always wanted to move to a big city and because the university offered a good business school.

After receiving her first letter from Georgia State, she kept in touch over email and was eventually invited to a softball camp there. Then came the offers.

Belstle said she likes the team culture there. “It just really felt like it was home and somewhere I could grow.”

Since verbally committing to Georgia State, the Panthers have brought in a new coaching staff. And after meeting the new coaches, she knew it was the right fit.

GSU finished 11-42 last spring and won just one conference game. The new coaching staff is part of a rebuilding effort for the program that hasn’t finished above .500 since 2017.

“The new coaches are wonderful, and I kind of feel like it was meant to be with them being there,” Belstle said. She hopes to compete for a starting role among an older, experienced pitching staff. 

Belstle leaves New Franklin with a 43-13 overall record over three high school seasons. As a senior, she won 14 games against four losses, including a season-ender against Glasgow in the district tournament semifinal in which she delivered an astounding 16 strikeouts.

She currently holds the New Franklin strikeout record with 714, nearly 200 more than anybody else, and a career ERA of 1.37 over just three seasons.

After missing her junior season,  she did not disappoint when she returned as a senior, leading her team to a 20-5 record.

“My whole goal my senior year was just to have fun and let loose and play,” Belstle said. “I’m super thankful and feel super blessed that I got to play and have fun with my best friends that I’ve grown up with my whole life.”

Nicholson said Belstle’s return for her season ushered in a change in the team’s dynamic.

“You saw a team instantly become a team that could have possibly been a Final Four team, and beyond that, just with her presence on the mound making us one of the teams [opponents] did not want to see,” he said. “She seemed like she had a great time, and her leading us made other people seem like they had a great time, too, and I think overall our season was a lot of fun.”

Nicholson said Belstle’s talent and work ethic have set her up for a future in DI softball. And with a fastball topping out in the mid-60s, alongside a rise ball, drop ball, and change-up, she has the arsenal to make an impact.

“She has all the talent in the world, and she works hard, too,” he said. “I think that’s rare to see these days, especially in the small schools. I think she’ll be able to compete on day one and be a solid pitcher for them. I’m excited to see what she can do.”