A tough choice: Reese Adkins’s decision to continue playing softball paid off
ARMA, Ohio (athletics.tri-c.edu) – She was done with softball. It was fun in high school, but as she turned her attention to college, she didn't want to play anymore. Her shoulder was torn up. Her elbow was on its last legs. Pair those with the time playing a college sport takes, and she didn't know if she'd have enough time to play and be successful in school.
After years of playing shortstop at Oak Harbor High School and on the travel circuits, Reese Adkins (So./Oak Harbor, Ohio) was ready to hang up her cleats. She was gearing up to turn in her glove for a spreadsheet and toss herself into an accounting program at Terra State Community College.
One message changed that.
Adkins got a message through Field Level, which is a platform used by college coaches and high school players to communicate during their recruitment process, from Cuyahoga Community College assistant coach Nick Iarussi. He wanted to see if Adkins was interested in playing and that there might have been a scholarship available for her if she decided to lace up her cleats once again.
"The scholarship drew my attention, but it was Nick that really sold me," Adkins said. "I'd heard of the college before, my mom had a friend that played here. I mentioned that when I went on my visit and Nick remembered her. He came and watched me play travel ball and in high school."
With those connections to Iarussi, Adkins decided she was interested enough to consider playing college softball and continuing her career. But she still had to work through if playing again – with all its concerns physically and mentally – was worth it. Ultimately, after tons of deliberation and more conversations with Iarussi, Adkins was in. She would join the Triceratops.
Almost immediately, Adkins was thrust into the limelight. As a freshman, she was the only true shortstop on the roster. Adkins saw action in 30 games as a true freshman in 2025 and proved she belonged. She posted a stellar .453 batting average to go with 32 runs batted in, nine stolen bases and only five strikeouts in 115 plate appearances. With Adkins manning shortstop and providing elite production, the Triceratops raced out to a 21-9 record and Ohio Community College Athletic Conference co-championship alongside Edison State Community College.
To Adkins, the jump in competition clearly was marginal at most based on her stellar line as a freshman. Some of that was due to her strong play at high school, and some was due to the tougher scheduling the Triceratops squared off against in the Fall.
"I'd already played at a higher level before, so it wasn't super intimidating coming into college softball," Adkins said. "I wasn't intimidated whatsoever when it came to playing teams in our conference and down in Florida. When we faced Akron and Ohio State, that was a little nerve-wracking and exciting because they're a Division I school. But it's also a really cool experience I learned a lot from."
More importantly, Adkins's body held up throughout her first year. Her concerns about her shoulder and elbow didn't end up mattering, as she played in every one of Triceratops games.
Going into her sophomore season, Adkins was looking to build off her strong freshman campaign. Once again, she was healthy, and after her first season, she was all-in on giving her all and being the best she could be on the diamond.
Almost immediately, Adkins noticed that year two may be even better than year one. The team felt better overall. Everyone was meshing and working well together. Everything fit together with ease, through the Fall season.
Come Spring, Adkins and the Triceratops felt like they were destined for something more than last season's early exit in the Great Lakes District Tournament. And they delivered on that.
The Triceratops raced out to a 34-8 record, with a 16-1 mark in OCCAC play to claim their second consecutive conference crown. Adkins once again put up gaudy numbers, appearing in all 42 games for the Triceratops once again with a .451 batting average, 42 runs batted in, 58 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and only seven strikeouts in 142 bats.
The regular season ended, but the Triceratops were not done. The Triceratops looked for redemption at the Great Lakes District Tournament, where they entered as the number one seed. Adkins and the Triceratops made their way through the field with ease, winning all three games they played. Adkins was named to the All-Tournament team for her play.
Being in Findlay, Ohio for the Great Lakes District Tournaments was something Adkins pointed to as an especially fond memory. Despite heavy rains delaying the tournament by a day and throwing the schedule into chaos, it was still a highlight of Adkins' career.
"Even though Findlay wasn't ideal with all the rain, I really enjoyed just being with my teammates and coaches," Adkins recalled.
Also in Findlay, Adkins and some other Triceratops players got to know the number one seed in the other Great Lakes Regional bracket: Grand Rapids Community College. They spent the rainy days talking with coaches and players, comparing scouting reports on upcoming opponents and joking about both teams heading to Spartanburg, S.C. for the NJCAA Division II World Series.
Those jokes came true.
It became even more real when the two teams were pitted against each other in the first round of the consolation bracket at the World Series.
"Getting to play them after being in Findlay together was really cool," Adkins said. "They talked very highly of themselves, especially their coach. He was trying to keep the details short, especially when he was talking about his team. But we let him know everything about us. Then, going to South Carolina and knowing we have to play them? It was great to actually win the game. To be honest, I didn't expect to win with how highly he talked of their team."
The Triceratops prevailed, though, in the Battle for Region 12, 7-3. In that game, Adkins scored the final run for the Triceratops against their regional foes.
While the run in the World Series ended the following morning in a loss to Johnson County Community College, it was still a great experience that Adkins will look back on for a long time. In fact, all the time she spent on the road with her teammates and coaches – who are all now friends – is her fondest memory. Not something on the diamond, but the relationships and the fun they all had off the diamond.
After the season – and Adkins' playing career – came to a close, the OCCAC gave her the cherry on top. She was named the conference's Player of the Year and Golden Glove recipient as the league's best defender. Both were well deserved.
"I didn't expect any of it," Adkins said with a laugh. "I didn't expect to go to the World Series. To be honest, I didn't expect to win Player of the Year; I fully thought Lexi Gray (So./Tallmadge, Ohio/Baldwin-Wallace) was going to win it. And I forgot Golden Glove was even an award."
For Adkins, her softball career is finished. She graduated this Spring – amid the team's run to the Regional Championships and World Series – with her associate degree in accounting. She's already gotten a job in her field and is just focusing on enjoying life right now.
"I play in a slow pitch league with my friends and partner on Mondays," Adkins said. "I picked up volleyball again, I'm running. I'm just living my 'normal person' life now. I'm pretty boring."
While being "boring" and moving away from softball may be the right move for Adkins now, her choice to listen to Iarussi and play at Tri-C is one that will continue to pay off. Because she earned more than just awards and accolades: she gained a whole host of friends.
"I love everyone I played with during my sophomore year," Adkins said. "I made some really, really good friends this year."
Those friends, like many gained at Cuyahoga Community College, will be with Adkins for years to come.
SUMMER PROFILES
This piece is the eighth in a series of profiles on players and coaches around the Cuyahoga Community College athletic department. See below to read the prior entries:
May 13, 2026 - Family and perserverance drive Cuyahoga Community College Men's Basketball's Frankie Evans IV to next chapter
June 10, 2026 - Relationships and bonding push young Cuyahoga Community College Women's Basketball team to new heights
June 15, 2026 - Brooke Brubaker gives back at Guardians Summer Camp
July 2, 2026 - Championship mindset from Day One: The 2025-26 Cuyahoga Community College softball season
July 3, 2026 - Former Cuyahoga Community College baseball coach thriving in Minor League Baseball
July 14, 2026 - Adversity can't hold Jamir Ross back from OCCAC Co-Player of the Year honors
July 21, 2026 - La'Nia Moore's path to becoming a role model for her sisters and teammates
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