Fowler commits to Niagara University
It was love at first sight for Ella Fowler and Niagara University.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student at Lakeshore Catholic High School recently committed to the Lewiston, N.Y., school after receiving a combination athletic/academic scholarship offer to play softball and major in communication/media studies.
The Fort Erie resident was being recruited by the Division 1 school and an overnight stay sealed the deal.
“I really liked how small it was and all the team were just really welcoming,” Fowler said at Lakeshore Friday where she put pen to paper with her parents, grandparents and friends in attendance. “When I did my overnight, everyone was so welcoming and I really liked it.
“I knew right away that’s where I wanted to go.”
The decision put an end to some serious soul searching for the left-handed hitting outfielder.
“It was very stressful,” she said. “It is very nice to have it all over now with. It was really exciting. It was a stressful process, but worth it in the end.”
Fowler said she preferred to stay near her family.
“I did want something really close.”
Fowler grew up in a baseball family.
Dad Michael Fowler is scout with the Fort Erie Meteors but his first love is baseball having played in the Niagara District Senior League with the Fort Erie Cannons while mom Megan Fowler played travel softball for the Port Colborne Comets.
“It was kind of natural for her to start playing because of both of us,” Michael Fowler said. “She was pretty natural.”
Ella Fowler said her earliest recollections of playing are from a very young age.
“I always only (played) softball,” he said. “I haven’t played anything else. I started when I was three.”
By age nine, Ella Fowler was travelling over the border to Buffalo to suit up for the Upstate New York Revolution.
“My dad just found a team and it was in Buffalo and it just went on from there,” she said. “It (softball) is definitely a lot more popular and a lot more competitive there.”
Ella said she was always a top player and couple of years ago began to think of playing at the collegiate level.
“It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I realized, because of the start of the recruiting process, I want to go to college for softball,” she said.
She is slated to begin her career at Niagara in the fall of 2025.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,400 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
