James Wood's Rosenberry signs to play softball at Virginia Tech

WINCHESTER — James Wood softball coach Todd Baker told a story on Wednesday evening about a time when the Colonels needed help in a big district game two seasons ago because their shortstop became ill.

When asked who would play shortstop that cold evening at Kettle Run, Baker said “my best player.”

And even though Ivy Rosenberry had never played the position before or since, she jumped in and did a solid job as the Colonels pulled out the victory.

That story tells a little bit about the extremes that Rosenberry will go to help her team win. And it’s likely one of the things that impressed Virginia Tech softball coach Pete D’Amour. Rosenberry signed a national letter of intent with the Hokies on Wednesday evening, the final ceremony on a day that saw four James Wood athletes sign with Division I programs.

“You’re so happy because you know how hard they work,” Baker said of Rosenberry, who transferred to James Wood following her freshman season at Millbrook. “It’s not just through the three years she’s been here, but her whole life. She’s worked for this moment. You’re happy for the parents [Kim and Rich] and the entire family because they all have contributed to it.”

Rosenberry’s signing on a partial scholarship was a long time coming. After originally committing to Lehigh, Rosenberry changed her mind and then verbally committed to the Hokies way back in September of 2018.

“I’m just really blessed to have such a great program,” said Rosenberry, who also celebrated her birthday on Wednesday. “I’m just so excited to go.

“The day that I committed was a day of just relief,” she added. “You think of it is relief, but at the same time I have to work more. The work is not done yet. It is a sense of relief. I was really happy to sign my paper today.”

The Hokies are getting quite a player in Rosenberry, the reigning Winchester Star, Class 4 Northwestern District and Region 4C Player of the Year. Last season, Rosenberry hit .500 with seven homers, 11 doubles and 26 RBIs, impressive numbers since she was walked 26 times.

But it’s in the circle where the Hokies are counting on Rosenberry to make an impact. Last season, she was 16-6 with a tiny 0.75 ERA. She struck out 200 batters in 130.2 innings.

“Coach Pete says that I’m definitely something special,” Rosenberry said. “Whenever he first recruited me, he actually recruited me for my dropball which caught his eye.”

This past summer, Rosenberry spent time traveling around the country facing some of the toughest competition she could find and working on refining her five pitches.

“I tried to experience what we would be facing in college,” Rosenbery said. “It was facing the best competition, making sure my spins were tight and my speed stays up, everything like that. It was very tedious work.”

She’ll join a Virginia Tech squad that is coming off a stellar 47-11 season, 20-4 in the ACC. The Hokies, who won 24 more games than they had won in 2018, advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Kentucky.

“They had a phenomenal year,” said Rosenberry, who will major in business at Virginia Tech. “Coach Pete did a wonderful job getting our girls in the right situation they needed.”

Rosenberry is hoping the Colonels, who won the Class 4 Northwestern District regular season title last season, can also enjoy more success and advance to state competition.

“This season is going to be really special to say the least,” Rosenberry said. “We have a lot of really young talent coming in, more than we’ve ever had before since I’ve been here. Our offseason workouts have been one of a kind. We had some of our girls turning double plays looking like they had been playing all season together. I’m truly excited to see what we can do together as a team.”

And as Baker’s story indicated, Rosenberry is all about helping the team.

“She never says ‘me.’ You don’t really ever hear that out of her mouth,” Baker said. “I didn’t know Ivy at all [before she arrived]. I just knew she was an exceptional talent and you do worry about that kind of person coming into your program.

“What kind of person are you getting? She’s just a tremendous person and she’s almost like an extra coach at times. She’s always willing to work with the girls who a struggling and picking people up in the dugout. It’s never ‘me’ with her — ever.”

“In all honesty, softball is a very team sport,” Rosenberry said. “You’re not going to get to go out and pitch every time or not make that amazing play. But if somebody needs you to step out of that comfort zone, you need to. You’re never going to be put into a comfortable situation. At least I know I’m not in the next four years.”

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