From the moment Brooke Rozier picked up a bat and glove, her dream was to play college softball.
The Jefferson City senior made that dream a reality Thursday when she signed a national letter of intent to play at the University of Iowa.
"It's a little surreal," Rozier said after signing in front of dozens of friends and family members in Fleming Fieldhouse. "Ever since I was a little girl playing softball, I've always wanted to play in college. You watch all those older girls play and I wanted that to be me. Now it is me, so it's pretty crazy."
As a senior for the Lady Jays, Rozier hit .425 with 28 RBI and eight home runs while leading Jefferson City (20-8) to a third-place finish in Class 4, capping that off by earning all-state honors.
Jefferson City coach Lisa Dey saw Rozier's potential when she joined the program as a freshman, at which point she immediately solidified a spot in the starting lineup.
"I think you could see the potential from the beginning," Dey said. "She's a phenomenal player, but I think if you ask her, she'd say she's got room for improvement, which is good."
But it wasn't just Rozier's talents on the field that have set her apart in her career with the Lady Jays.
"I think her work ethic is unbelievable," Dey said. "She has put in so many hours outside of actual scheduled practices and scheduled games on her own and with her dad."
Rozier's leadership qualities were top-notch as well.
"She's a great leader," Dey said. "I don't think she got caught up in a bunch of drama. If anything, she put fires out."
Rozier attended a camp at Iowa during her sophomore year. A month later an offer was put on the table, and she was instantly hooked.
"Initially I went to the camp to try and see what was going on there," Rozier said. "I explored the town and it was amazing. It's a home away from home. I love it there. The community is so supportive and the coaching staff is awesome."
Rozier had explored other college options before her visit to Iowa, but none of those schools felt like the right fit. As soon as Iowa came into the picture, Rozier put the recruiting process on hold, and decided shortly after she wanted to become a Hawkeye.
"The town is like Jefferson City in a way in that it is very supportive," Rozier said. "They don't have any pro sports there, so their team is Iowa. The university is beautiful and my personality, I feel, fits in that community."
Iowa went 16-30 last season and was 9-14 in the Big 10 Conference, but that was not a factor in Rozier's decision.
"They're up-and-coming and I feel like the way the coaches treated me - I've got the potential to be a program-changer," she said. "I think I can help them get to the level they want to get."
Rozier credited Dey; her parents, Troy and Cindy; along with Jeff Hardy, Kace Marshall and Ryan Taylor for helping her get to the position she is in now. Rozier played for Hardy, Marshall and her dad as a member of the Missouri Pride for six years before joining Taylor, the coach of the DeMarini Aces, a travel team based out of Kansas City.
"This is a life-changing decision," Troy Rozier said, noting the importance of getting a good education. "We sat down as a family to discuss it, but the end decision was all Brooke's, and we would have supported her 100 percent, regardless where she would have gone."
It is evident Brooke, who plans to study elementary education, feels like she made the right decision.
"I knew in my heart as soon as I went there the first time that I wanted to go there," she said.
Dey couldn't help but put a humorous twist on her star player moving up to farm country.
"I don't think she knows a thing about cornfields or farming or anything like that," she said. "Maybe she can come over to the house and I can teach her a little bit about chickens and all that. But the one thing about Brooke's personality, she will be able to adapt to anything."