PCHS senior KaNiyah Robertson has been playing softball for nearly a decade and a dream of hers was to continue her career at the collegiate level.
Recently, those dreams became a reality as the former Lady War Eagles’ utility player signed a letter of intent to play at Paine College in Augusta, Ga.
Robertson, whose nickname is ‘SJ,’ is a member of the local Elite Diamonds 18U travel team that is based out of Putnam County.
She said that playing with the team under head coach Demetrius Woods helped her recruitment.
“The process started in the fall of last year and it went all the way up until my signing day,” Robertson said. “I play on a travel ball team and I went to all these different schools getting myself some exposure to the college atmosphere.”
Robertson added that Woods has a close relationship with Paine College head coach Ricky Carvajal, which helped her establish a connection with the school.
“I took a trip there and liked the atmosphere and the players,” Robertson said. “That’s when I decided I wanted to make it official, so after talking to Coach Ricky, he extended me a full ride. He told me he liked the way I play and knew I would give him 110 percent effort. However, I needed to talk it over with my family.”
After looking at the financial aspect of it and visiting the campus a final time, Robertson accepted Carvajal’s scholarship offer to play for the Lady Lions.
Robertson said a few other factors also played into her decision of accepting the offer.
“First of all, I didn’t want to be too far from home and Paine (College) is only about an hour-and-a-half away from Putnam (County),” Robertson said. “Secondly, it was mainly Coach Ricky. He really wants his players to succeed, no matter what it is. Either way, he’s going to make sure they are taken care of. The connection he has with the girls on his team is what really sold me.”
Woods has only been Robertson’s coach since 2021; however, he said he has seen her grow a lot since she started playing for his program last year.
“Her attitude and her character stick out the most,” Woods told The Eatonton Messenger. “Those are two things that have always stuck out to me about her.”
Woods acknowledged that Robertson knows how to handle both success and failure.
“To play at the next level, it’s all about not getting too high or too low,” he said. “SJ does a solid job of that. She also knows how to be a great teammate.” Woods said that the most impressive
Woods said that the most impressive thing about Robertson is her “softball IQ.”
“She’s a great hitter, has a great speed on the basepath and is a great fielder on defense,” Woods said. “Her softball IQ and overall awareness (of the game) really stick out. To see that grow a lot into something like a well-oiled machine is beautiful to witness.”
Robertson will enroll at Paine College in the fall and compete for the Lady Lions next spring.