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Sports

Friday, 26 November 2010 10:56

News-Gazette Photo/Rick Pedone

Samantha Gale, seated next to her mother, Cindy, signed a softball scholarship to Florida Southern College. Standing, with her teammates, is Sam’s father, St. Cloud softball coach Mike Gale.

Sam Gale selects FSC Mocs

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
Samantha Gale has one more high school softball season ahead at St. Cloud High, but after that she will don the red and white of the Florida Southern Moccasins.
Gale signed a grant to the Sunshine State Conference school Wednesday as her teammates, parents, Athletic Director Chad Ansbaugh and Principal Pam Tapley joined the celebration.
“It’s close to home, so my parents can see me play,” Gale said. “I’d rather go somewhere and play every game at the Division II level rather than catch batting practice or something at a bigger school.”

The Lady Mocs have flourished under legendary Coach Chris Bellotto, winning 24 conference championships and one national title. Bellotto, a 29-year veteran at FSC, is the only coach the program has had. The team was 26-22 last season.
Mike Gale, Sam’s father and the St. Cloud softball coach, said it is an excellent fit for his daughter.
“It’s an established, well-run program with a coach who has been there forever,” Mike Gale said. “Sam has a good chance to go there and play right away, either as a pitcher, a catcher or at third base.”
Sam Gale, who has played softball since she was 5, has been the mainstay on the pitching mound at St. Cloud since she arrived as a freshman. Her goal this season is to erase former Lady Bulldog standout Ashley Iveson’s strikeout record from the books.
“I’m about 200 away, so I’ll have to have a good season,” she said.
Gale was 14-8 last season with a 1.39 ERA. She struck out 167 batters in 120.2 innings.
She doesn’t take her trips to the batter’s box lightly, hitting .541 last season with a .967 slugging percentage.
Cindy Gale, Sam’s mother, is pleased that her daughter will be able to pursue her major – nursing – at Florida Southern.
“They have a very good program, and they’ve said that Sam can do some of her work at the hospital nearby (in Clermont, where the family lives),” Cindy Gale said. “Most schools we talked to wouldn’t make any arrangements for a nursing major because they said it interfered with softball. But, the people at Florida Southern were receptive and they really went out of their way to make it work.”
Mike Gale said the initial goal was for Samantha, the youngest of five children, to play for a major Division I program.
“But, as you investigate it you learn that all they are interested in is those girls from California. That’s who everyone is looking for, then they round out their rosters with a couple of players from Florida,” Gale said. “We probably wasted a lot of time going to exposure tournaments. But, the way it turned out is fantastic. Sam’s going to a great program where she’ll be able to play and have a lot of success.”
Sam Gale, an honor student, earned a variety of academic grants that will defray most of the tuition.
She is looking forward to her senior softball season.
“The biggest difference now (as opposed to her freshman year) is that I feel more relaxed. I’m not as stressed,” she said. “I want us to have the best season ever.”