By ALEX SPONSELLER Cranston West senior softball captain Brenna Whittaker made her college commitment official last weekend, signing to play ball for Division III Emmanuel College in front of friends and family at Brayton Park.

Whittaker has been a team captain at West for the past two seasons and was named All-Division during her sophomore year. Along with her success on the field, she has made quite the impact off it in the Cranston community.

Whittaker is a volunteer coach in the CLCF program and also helped others during the pandemic by making masks and donating all proceeds to local frontline workers. She was also the first recipient of CLCF’s Jaxon Marocco Memorial Foundation Scholarship, given to Cranston softball players that display great character both on and off the field.

Between the strong softball program at Emmanuel and the academics, Whittaker fell in love with the school early on.

“I’m really excited. It’s taken a load of stress off my back knowing that I have a school. It’s a great school with so many great opportunities so I feel lucky to have a spot there, I’m so excited. It was actually difficult even getting to the school, I committed before I was even able to visit the campus, so it was a bit risky, but it turned out OK obviously,” said Whittaker. “The biggest factor was the art therapy program on top of softball. They have a great softball team and they just won their conference. Now I get to play on that team so I am excited. I’m committed to pitch, but wherever they need me I will be willing to play.”

Strength and conditioning will be the center of her focus prior to next spring, according to Whittaker, who is also happy to learn from the strong core of talent at Emmanuel.

“(I’ll have to focus) on weightlifting and those extra things that are not required in high school … the more intense things. I am really looking forward to playing in college and having things be more intense than they are in high school, I am looking forward to learning under such a great coach and with more experienced players,” Whittaker said.

Whittaker is also proud to see her lifelong dream become a reality.

“This is what I have been working towards, and this is the highest level that you can get other than the Olympics. This is the goal that I have been working toward since I was a young player so I am proud to finally get to this point,” said Whittaker, who is prepared to make one last run at a high school championship with her teammates. “We have such a great team this year, so I am around players that are also playing at the next level. That will help me be prepared for the next level. I will miss the girls, I will miss the coaches, we’re very close and have built some great relationships. This year we have such great chemistry and I am really going to miss that.”