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Carlow University Student Athlete Spotlight - Heather Sellew

Coming off of a WPIAL softball championship, Belle Vernon has a good chance to repeat this year. The Leopards have several starters returning from their championship team, including their catcher and leading hitter, Heather Sellew.

"She was very instrumental in our success this past season when we won the WPIAL AAA Championships," stated Tom Rodriquez, Belle Vernon Area HS softball coach. "She is undoubtedly one of the best all around players that I have ever coached." That is high praise from a coach who has experienced much success over the years. Rodriquez' Belle Vernon teams have reached the playoffs five straight years advancing to the WPIAL semi-finals in 2006 before winning the 2007 championship.

"She is very athletic and has all of the skills necessary to play collegiate softball, even at the Division I level." Rodriquez continued, "She understands all aspects of the game and is an outstanding catcher."

Sellew has a strong arm and solid catching skills, but her strength is in how she can pick up on the hitter's tendencies and her pitcher's capabilities. As a result, Sellew is one of the few high school or travel team catchers who calls the game for the pitcher.

"I have a lot of faith in her judgment and therefore have allowed her to call 99 percent of the pitches," Rodriquz added.

Sellew could excel as an outfielder. She has good quickness and throws the ball over 60 MPH. She also is a smooth infielder with a quick glove.

Sellew's success and her commitment to the team have earned her a leadership role, a role that she knows she must take seriously her senior year if Belle Vernon is to make a run at the PIAA championship.

"I have a bigger responsibility as a four-year varsity player," explained Sellew. "We just won the WPIAL and everybody has high expectations for us." She added, "Softball is a team sport, so I do not focus on individual success. I look forward to being the team leader and working with some of the young players moving up from the junior varsity."

Sellew lettered in basketball as a sophomore, but she decided to focus on softball. She also excels in the classroom where she carries a 3.7 GPA. Sellew is on the National Honor Roll and is listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students. She plans to major in English.

At present, Sellew has colleges at all levels expressing interest in her softball abilities, but she is undecided on where she will attend college.

"I am very excited to get out and experience new things." Sellew added, "The excitement for me is the new challenges and the competition. After four years of playing in high school, I am ready to experience a new level of competition."

-- Submitted by the National Scouting Report*

* This Student Spotlight was submitted by the National Scouting Report and follows the guidelines and permissions set within that organization. MSA Sports is not liable for this submission.

How to Get Your Student in the Spotlight

Balancing sports, schoolwork, and other activities is one of your child's greatest challenges. We at MSA Sports would like to spotlight some of these students who do just that - and do it WELL!

Parents, teachers, family members and friends, we need your help identifying students to feature in the Student Athlete Spotlight. Send a photograph of the student, along with some biographical information. Student bio should be brief (2 or 3 paragraphs) and include sport played and position, academic and other honors, GPA, extracurricular activities, and any other information that helps to showcase the achievements and character of this student athlete.

Once your child is selected we will send you a permission form to allow us to post the student's picture and profile. Please use this form to submit a student for consideration.