WARDSVILLE - There's a common consensus when it comes to Jolie Duffner - she's more than ready for Division I softball.
If you don't believe it, ask her high-school coach.
"She's at a point in her softball career where she is ready for the expertise at the next level, with hitting coaches, nutrition, things like that," Blair Oaks coach Sharon Buschjost said. "It may be that I've run out of things to teach her."
Duffner, who signed a letter of intent Wednesday to continue her career at the University of Missouri, said she's excited to make the transition.
"I like the level of knowledge that the coaching staff (at Missouri) has and all that they can offer to help me take my game to the next level," Duffner said.
The senior is the latest in a string of Lady Falcons to play Division I softball, joining Jessica Buschjost (Saint Louis University) and Alora Marble (Southeast Missouri State and Missouri). She said the Tigers were a logical conclusion to a long journey.
"It all started my freshman year when I worked on hitting with Larry Earleywine," she said. "He asked me what schools I was interested in, and I told him how I was looking at Wisconsin and I was going to go up there for a camp. He asked, "Why would you want to go to Wisconsin when you can go to Mizzou?'"
The next step came during her sophomore season.
"Illinois wanted me to commit and I kind of put them off until I could go to the Mizzou summer camp," she said. "I got to meet the coaching staff, and I really liked the way they ran the program and everything they had to offer."
Duffner said she's looking forward to one thing in particular.
"They have a lot of resources as far as really breaking down your swing, just the minute details that you can't see with the naked eye," she said. "They can make the small adjustments that can produce big results, and that's what I'm excited about."
Sharon Buschjost said that's the logical next step for an offensive player as advanced as Duffner, a three-time all-state selection.
"Knowing the significance and importance of hitting, she stood out from Day 1," Buschjost said. "You could tell she had a swing that was put together and practiced and practiced and practiced. It was something like a machine."
Buschjost added Duffner's work ethic was a great example for the rest of the Lady Falcons.
"She's probably the most businesslike athlete that I have coached," she said. "It is very matter-of-fact. She's never been one to focus on any attention outside of the softball field. She's always showed up with the team in mind.
"She's always taken care of making herself better, trying to instill confidence in the rest of her teammates with their abilities. She has shown them everything about work ethic that she could possibly show."
That should serve her well on the Division I level, where sports are often more like a job than games.
"There's something about how she's wired to where she doesn't need the accolades, she doesn't need the rah-rah and the hoopla surrounding things," Buschjost said. "I think she's going to a program in Missouri where I think (head) coach (Ehren) Earleywine is very structured and very businesslike in his approach, and I think she will feed off that."
That logical approach helped Duffner get through the recruiting process, which can often overwhelm high-school athletes.
"I just think it was exciting," she said. "I don't look at it as being nerve-racking. The most important thing was to be playing with your team and not be worrying about who's watching you at any certain time. Just focus on the task at hand, which is playing the game."