Brooke Blankenship will be a name you will see in the 2021 Hot 100 in May. We featured the 2021 shortstop from Tampa, FL, as December's Rising Star. Florida State, Florida, Michigan, and FAU were hot on her recruiting trail for some time. After several unofficial visits, Blankenship verbally committed to Florida State. Here is her recruiting story.

My recruiting journey started in May of 2014, when Florida State hosted Michigan for the Super Regional finals. I'd never really gone to a big college game before. So we went for Saturday, because it could be a doubleheader if FSU won game two. Florida State lost game one -- by a lot. But Seminoles won the second game to force a game three.

The final game was a dogfight. Between the diving plays and the great hits, I was on the edge of my seat. Then, Courtney Senas hit a walk off home run in extra innings to send the Seminoles to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. The crowd was electric. The excitement was overwhelming. The team went crazy, and the roar from the packed stadium chanting the FSU cheer was just unforgettable. I knew at that moment I wanted to play in college.

When I told my dad that he said I had a lot of work to do to be good enough to be considered for a Division I school. I started playing pretty late. Most kids begin playing the sport at a young age, but I was a gymnast first and then I switched to softball. I didn't start until the second year of 10U. So, we started to work -- really hard. We worked almost every day on something.

The summer after seventh grade, I attended FSU's Prospect Camp. Before I got to camp, I emailed the coaches an introduction and my fall schedule. When I was fielding, Florida State assistant coach Travis Wilson asked me which travel team I played on with the Tampa Mustangs. I was nervous! During camp, my counselor was Tessa Daniels. She was so reassuring and told me stories about the team and the things they did together. I left there wanting to work even harder!

In August, I flew to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and got to see the University of Alabama stadium, some great NPF games, and participate in the Select 30 Camp. The Select 30 Camp was one of the highest-pressure situations I've ever felt. There were so many talented 2021 girls there. We didn't get many reps and had to make every single one count. We waited all afternoon and into the evening to find out if I made the top 30. When we saw the list of names and mine was on it, I couldn't believe that the judging panels noticed me, but I was happy to make it to the Sunday games. Now, I had to play and hit well to get to first team -- the top 15. The next morning, we played two games. I left dirty and tired, but I made the final cut to first-team All-American. I won my first ring! It was incredible, and I made so many friends that day.

Then, two weeks before D9, I was kicked at PE. It was a freak accident, but it left me with two breaks in my big toe and the next bone in my foot. I was really scared that I wouldn't be able to play. That toe injury cut my school team weightlifting and volleyball season short!

Our first showcase was the Elite Fall Classic, I played -- even though my foot hurt and the bones in my toes were still broken! I was invited to camps at FAU and UCF, and even Florida coach Tim Walton watched one of my games.

At D9, we played some great teams. My toe was in pain the entire time, and I took off my cleats every chance I got to relieve the pain. Michigan came to watch our games, and several other high-profile college coaches were behind our backstop. It was just like the Select 30 Camp, and I was getting used to the pressure. I think I really like pressure.

The following week, my parents and I went to Georgia. We were at a University of Washington camp that I was invited to attend after D9. During the camp, my parents got an email invitation for me to attend an unofficial visit to the University of Michigan. My mom was stunned. My schedule was filling up! I was heading to camps at FSU and FAU in December and now adding Michigan in January. Then back to FSU. Then University of Florida. Then on to South Carolina. At one point my coach, Jody Hennigar, told me to make a list of the top five schools, considering distance and every factor and to make sure I could see each school.

At FSU's winter camp, I was able to get great reps and some time with the coaches. They told me I was really young but that they liked me and that I needed to keep working. At least they knew my name now!

Then, we went to FAU. I had a really great camp and really liked assistant coaches Troy Whitt and Chan Walker. Coach Whitt is an amazing infield coach. Then, at the end of camp, Coach Whitt sent me to get my parents. We went to meet with Coach Chan and head coach Joan Joyce. It was really amazing to meet Coach Joyce. She told me that she couldn't believe I was an eighth-grader by the way I played on the field. I was pretty floored by the feedback I received.



Then it was off to Michigan! This was really the first unofficial visit for me. I toured the academic centers and learned about the career support and tutoring that was offered to athletes.

They made me feel like they were very interested in making sure I was successful after softball too. The campus was so beautiful, and I got to see snow! I FaceTimed my family back home to show them the snowflakes. Head coach Carol Hutchins is an awesome person. It was humbling to spend time with a legend of my game. She spent a lot of time with us and sent great feedback home to my high school coach and some selfies too! She said I was on the top of her 2021 list and told me to think long and hard if I could handle Michigan weather. I saw her again when they played in Tampa, my hometown.



Two weeks later, I was back in Tallahassee for the Monk Bonasorte Elite Prospect Camp. This was my third FSU camp in six months! Camps are incredibly important, because I really got to know the coaches and some players. At this one, I got to take ground balls with Jessica Warren. That was so awesome. I felt so at home on that field. I hit a couple out during BP and fielded really well.

Saturday night at dinner, our travel coach called my dad and asked if we would go to the softball offices before camp the next morning. I knew that meant that things were getting serious. We met with all three coaches the next morning. I wanted to commit that minute, and I almost did. But my parents and the FSU coaches wanted me to see all of the schools on my list, so I wouldn't have any second thoughts. I left knowing that head coach Lonni Alameda wanted me to be a Seminole. I walked out of that office and back into the camp and played my best. After giving it all on the field, I left the camp with more amazing players as a friends!

When the high school season started, it was a really exciting time for me. I go to small private school called Academy at the Lakes, so I can play even though I'm not in high school yet. Our pitcher is Lexi Kilfoyl, who's committed to Alabama. She is a super person, and I have learned so much from her. My high school coach, Diane Stephenson, was a DI coach and is an awesome person and a super resource in the recruiting process. Now I could practice every day, attend athletic conditioning, and play more games at school as well as train with Kevin Maguire, my hitting and fielding coach. There's no such thing as too much softball for me.

February took me to University of Florida. I spent a whole day with the coaches and team. The campus and the team were just amazing. They have a great legacy and huge plans for their facility. I met the academic adviser and toured everything. I played ping pong against Kelly Barnhill, and she destroyed me. She's more than an amazing pitcher! I came back up for a camp Monday night and left with great feedback from Coach Walton. I followed up with coach on the phone, and he said there was a place in his program for me if I wanted to be a Gator.

In March, my dad and I drove to South Carolina. I spent two days watching Florida and South Carolina play. The Gators were on fire, but Carolina had several starters out. One of the best parts of the trip was spending so much time with Coach Maguire's daughter, Kenzi, who plays shortstop for the Gamecocks. The dorms, stadium, and facilities at South Carolina were so amazing. It was a really special weekend, and the coaches made me feel so welcome and made it clear what my role would be if I ended up there. I knew I had some big choices to make.

It was time for my unofficial visit to Florida State the last day of my spring break in March. It was part of what we discussed in January. I wanted to see more of the school. We met the coaches in the morning and toured the facilities and watched a game against Pitt. Jessica Warren ended the game by run-rule with a walk-off grand slam.

After the game, we had a great meeting with the coaches. At the end, I took a deep breath and told Coach Alameda that I wanted to play for her. I wanted to be a Seminole. There was lots of hugging and tears and pictures after that! It was a moment I won't ever forget.

We stayed the night and watched the Saturday game and drove home and celebrated with all of my grandparents and a steak dinner! Sunday morning, I woke up and went straight to the field. I want to be the best player I can be, and the work will never stop. It's all about effort and persistence and believing you can meet your goals, but it takes a lots of sweat and a lot of reps to get there. I can't wait to get back on campus for camp this summer.

I am so grateful for all of the offers I received. Any of the schools I visited would have been a great place to get an amazing education and a great place to play. They were all full of great people from the coaches to the advisers to the trainers. They all had great facilities. I'm a lifelong Seminole fan and when Coach Alameda offered me the opportunity to play for her and her staff, it was a dream come true. I'm so blessed to be able to live out my dream in the garnet and gold.

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