Photo Courtesy: Caley Leslie

By Ethan Ready

Caley Leslie commits to Cougars Softball

Prince George softball star commits to Western Nebraska

Aug 25, 2021 | 5:46 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – At the age of 15, Caley Leslie left Prince George and moved to Vancouver on her own to pursue her dreams of playing softball. Growing up as the daughter of a once professional hockey player, Leslie learned early on of the sacrifices needing to be made in order for her dreams to come true.

“It was really tough. I don’t think any parents want to send their child away at 15, but I just said to my parents if I want to be the best that I can be I can’t do it here (in Prince George),” said Leslie in a Zoom call with CKPG.

Leslie went on to play for the White Rock Renegades, which was a highlight of her career. Her career also included playing at the Canada Cup, where she competed against Japan and New Zealand. But the biggest accomplishment came this year with the Prince George Thunderbirds, hitting a grand slam in her final game with Prince George stitched to the front of her jersey.

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The past few years led to an even tougher decision for Leslie as she graduated from high school. In 2019, the pitcher originally committed to play for a school down in California. She was excited but then the pandemic hit, which she then decided to instead stick around Prince George and attend UNBC.

“And then things kind of changed in my life a little bit. I had a bit of an eye-opener. The world started opening back up and I just felt the passion again that I didn’t want to live my life without softball.”

Up until a month ago, Leslie remained committed to attending school in California, however, she began feeling like it wasn’t the right fit for her. As a result, she opened up her recruiting process again.

“I started sending out emails, going through the whole recruiting process again. Western Nebraska just happened to be on my list. I emailed Coach Groves and within 20 minutes I had a phone call, ‘we have a scholarship available’. It all happened so quick, I mean this was only a month ago,” she said from her dorm room on campus.

At Western Nebraska now, she’s finding the community she’s in is much like Prince George in that it has the small-town feel and that sense of community. She admits she’s excited to represent Prince George in this next chapter of her athletic career, but also says the level of competition is like nothing she’s ever experienced before.

“I’m good in Prince George. I’m a good player. Coming somewhere down here, I’m not as good as everybody else. I’m there, I just haven’t played at the level that all of these other girls have, and have the knowledge just because they’re so experienced with the level of ball that’s played throughout the U.S.”

With that said, Leslie is eager to learn and grow through the coaching she’s receiving with the Cougars Softball program and is hopeful that with her being one of four pitchers on staff that she will receive some early game experience while also being a student of the game.