Mentor senior Adrianna Sluga realized a dream this spring when she announced her commitment to continue her education and softball career at Lake Erie College.
“I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to continue my softball career into college,” Sluga said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Credit Mentor assistant coach Savannah Karako with an assist in leading Sluga to the Lake County program.
Karako, a Lake Catholic graduate, played at Lake Erie from 2015-2018 and joined the Mentor coaching staff this season.
“With the help and support of Coach Karako, who graduated from Lake Erie, I was lucky enough to come in contact with the coaching staff, and everything fell into place from there,” Sluga said. “I instantly loved what I saw within the program and school and I knew it would be the perfect spot for me.”
Lake Erie began recruiting Sluga over the winter and she visited the campus earlier this spring.
“The coaching staff was very welcoming to me and my family,” she said. “I love that Lake Erie is a smaller school with a very family-like atmosphere that also allows me to stay pretty close to home.”
Sluga, who moved to center field this season, was recruited by Lake Erie to play shortstop.
“The coaches know that I am a very versatile player and they will likely put me wherever I am needed,” she said. “Whatever the position may be, I will certainly push to be a great addition to the Lake Erie softball team.”
Sluga, who is in her third season on the Mentor varsity squad, is batting .405 this season and has at least one hit in all but one game this season.
She also has three doubles, a triple, and she has knocked in 12 runs for the Cardinals, who are 9-4 on the year.
As excited as she is about the opportunity ahead of her, she first has some unfinished business with her Mentor teammates.
“I am still very focused on my senior season at Mentor High School,” she said. “With our 2020 season being taken from us, we are all very focused and motivated to show our true potential. Right now, our goal is to put a championship banner on the wall and we intend to do everything in our power to make that happen.”
Sluga, who plays on the summer circuit with Ohio Energy, plans to major in biological psychology/behavioral neuroscience.
