Widra picks Oklahoma State
The future is a long way off for Annabelle Widra, but she has already figured it out.
The Spain Park High School freshman, already established as one of the top softball pitchers in the state, committed to Oklahoma State University on Sunday, Dec. 3.
“It has a really good atmosphere up there and it’s kind of like its own little town,” Widra said. “I really love Coach [Kenny Gajewski]…it felt really good to be up there.”
Unlike football, where prized recruits are relentlessly pursued all the way to their senior seasons, softball players that attract nationwide attention are normally forced to make a decision early since scholarships are limited. But even as a freshman, Widra said she has “no doubt whatsoever” about her decision.
“As the process kept going, it got more stressful for me, but once I committed, all the weight was lifted off my shoulder,” she said. “It feels great.”
Widra made a name for herself as a seventh-grader, with her brilliant postseason performance leading Spain Park to a runner-up trophy at the Class 7A state tournament. She backed that up with a dominant season as an eighth-grader, as she posted a 36-6 win-loss record, a 1.22 ERA and racked up 272 strikeouts in 200 2/3 innings of work.
Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Duke and several others pursued her, but Oklahoma State was the school that ultimately caught her eye.
Aside from her success in the circle, Widra is also an excellent infielder and confident with a bat in her hands. She hopes to be able to play both ways at the college level.
“We looked at the academics and the coaching. And since I’m a dual-player, we had to look at what their plan was for me,” Widra said. “I don’t want to lose pitching or defense. I don’t want to give up either one of them.”
Concerning her current progression, she feels good about her improvement as an infielder. As far as pitching goes, she is aiming to continue developing her knowledge of the game while maintaining her aggressiveness to attack hitters consistently.
At Spain Park, Widra has been fortunate enough to have more success before she even reached high school than most players have in a career. After the Jags’ second-place finish in 2016, they returned to the state tournament in 2017 and finished third.
Widra said she benefitted greatly the second time around at state last spring after having experienced the tournament once before.
“It’s a lot better,” she said. “Knowing how the bracket is and how everything is, it’s not as stressful knowing you’re pitching every game. Having that first experience as a seventh-grader, I took care of my body better and my parents and I, we both learned from it. Having that experience at a young age was very beneficial.”
A class that produced four college players helped lead the charge over the last two seasons and Spain Park’s team in the spring will have a similarity with the 2016 squad: no seniors.
“People will underestimate us because we don’t have any seniors, but that shouldn’t change anything,” said Widra. She also repeated coach C.J. Hawkins’ mantra, “It’s who’s hot in May,” in regards to the Jags’ state tournament chances in the upcoming season.
Over the next few years, Widra said she wants to continue to foster a family dynamic in the Spain Park softball program.
“This is my family when it comes to softball,” she said. “I want us all to stay together no matter what happens, if we have good or bad times.”
There is one other thing. Her brother, Tristan Widra, now a pitcher at Samford, won a state championship as part of the 2014 Spain Park baseball team. He has a blue map at home, and Annabelle Widra’s mission is to secure one of her own.
“I think it’s time to match it up,” she said.