Cunningham signs with Trojan softball

By Jon Dykstra | November 12, 2024 |

JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Spoofhound senior Alyssa Cunningham signed with North Iowa Area Community College softball on Tuesday morning at the Hound Pound. Pictured, from left, Alex Cunningham, Andrea Cunningham, Alyssa Cunningham and Mike Cunningham.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — For most, its hard to pinpoint when the goal of playing college sports became a reality. It’s not for Alyssa Cunningham.

It was the longest road trip in the Midland Empire Conference, that long 2-hour bus ride back from Chillicothe on September 24. The Spoofhounds had just battled state-ranked Chillicothe to where the game was tied in the fifth inning before the Hornets pulled away late.

On the bus ride back, Cunningham asked coach Brylee Kemper a question that she was nervous to hear the answer to. Did Kemper think she could play at the collegiate level?

“I was like, ‘do you think playing in college is an opportunity for me?’” Cunningham said. “She said, ‘Absolutely, yes.’ The next day, we started emailing coaches, emailing coaches my highlights, started talking to coaches and it all went from there.”

Kemper didn’t need long to think about it. Kemper herself played at the junior college level at Southwestern (Iowa) and at the Division-II level at Northwest Missouri State.

“I was like … ‘You have the ability to play college ball if you really want to. It is a will if you want to do it though. It is going to take a lot of work,’” Kemper said. “Super proud of her because she is one of our harder workers on and off the field.”

Then the recruiting work began with Cunningham and Kemper sending out video footage and information. Within a month of that initial decision, the offers began to come in with the first being from North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City.

The decision ended up coming down to the Trojans and Tritons of Iowa Central. Cunningham announced her decision to head to Mason City this past week.

“North Iowa just felt like home,” Cunningham said. “The coaches and their connection with the girls was just so noticeable and I really liked that. I really wanted that with my coach.”

The Trojans went 33-23 overall and 20-8 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference last season. They advanced to the NJCAA Regional Championship game.

Coach Matt Egger recruited Cunningham as a catcher, but Kemper believes she has the athleticism to play several different positions at the next level.

“She is just a natural athlete,” Kemper said. “She has a strong arm. It comes natural for her at the catcher position. In college, I could see them playing her anywhere on the field. She has speed where she could play in outfield with her strong arm, but she also has that softball IQ where if you put her in the infield, I think she can make those plays.

Cunningham hit .299 with a .384 on-base percentage and six extra-base hits this past season.

She plans to study business at North Iowa Area Community College.