ON, WISCONSIN! Escanaba's Salo Commits To UW

ESCANABA---Escanaba High School sophomore Gabi Salo has made a verbal commitment to play softball for the University of Wisconsin.

Salo was a Division Two All-State selection for the Eskymos last spring, and played on a number of travel teams throughout the summer, in tournaments across the country.

"That's where my heart is," Salo said Monday night. "It took me a long time to make a decision. I did a list of pros and cons in my head, and it's an amazing program. The coaches are amazing. The softball fields (in Madison) are so nice; right on the water."

Salo compiled a 18-3 record in the circle for the Eskymos in 2017, with a tiny 0.79 earned run average. Salo struck out 185 batters and walked just 23 in more than 100 innings of work.

And she made no errors all season long defensively. What makes Salo so solid?

"It's work ethic," Escanaba High School Coach Jamie Segorski said. "Seldom do you see a player work as hard as she has for four years, from the time she was ten years old. Her fastball is fast, but her change-up is so good that it makes her fastball look unhittable. She knows how to throw it and makes hitters try to catch up to her speed."

After she helped the Eskymos make the state semifinals in high school ball, Salo and her father, Gary, crisscrossed the country all summer long, entering many tournaments.

Salo was also courted by several other NCAA-I programs from the Big Ten, Mid American Conference, and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"I like that it is close to home, only four hours away," Salo said.

Salo cannot sign a National Letter of Intent until her junior year. But making a verbal commitment at such a young age is not unusual in softball.

For example, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central star Meghan Beaubien committed to Michigan as a sophomore.

"I have to keep getting better and keep practicing," Salo said. "I need to work on my mental game, because college softball is so different than any travel ball that you'll play."

Segorski says that Salo will continue to develop right along with the rest of the Eskymo team.

"We'll have fiveplayers playing at the next level (college) next year out of Escanaba," Segorski said. "It's a great feeling as a coach. Gabi has a great pitching coach downstate (Pat Brower), and her brief career as a high school player has been awesome. We've worked well together."

Salo, despite being so young, is already a role model to the area's Little Leaguers. She was part of back-to-back Little League state championships in 2015 and 2016, making it to the Central Regional title game both times. Her advice to those young girls?

"Work hard and believe in yourself," the soft-spoken Salo said.