Columbia Falls junior Sydney Mann has verbally committed to play Division I softball for Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Mann, a multisport athlete for the Wildkats, said she was looking for schools in the south to play softball.

“I had been looking at the south in general,” she said last week.

A family friend knew coach Justin Lewis, so she sent her tapes to him and then recently took a visit down to the university and tour the campus, as well as watch the team play.

Since she’s a junior, she can’t actually sign with the college until next fall, when she’s senior.

She’ll be the first to play Division 1 softball from Columbia Falls.

Mann’s been playing softball since she was 8 years old and primarily plays third base and pitches for the Kats, who are 2-0 so far this season.

For a Division 1 school, Nicholls is relatively small, with a student body of about 6,500.

“I didn’t want to go to a place that was too overwhelming,” she said.

In addition to the Wildkats, Mann plays travel league ball in the summer for the Rebels and plays soccer for Columbia Falls as well.

But softball is her favorite sport.

“I enjoy the challenge of softball,” she said. “There’s something about it that’s so special.”

Ultimately she’d love to play pro ball, but she also has academics in mind. She said she plans on either pursuing a career as a physical therapist or as a financial advisor. She is the daughter of Jesse and Meghann Mann. Her father is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Columbia Falls.

This is the first year coaching for Lewis, so Mann said it will be a rebuilding program. Her goal is to help the team be better, she said.

The Colonels are part of the Southland Conference, where they play bigger schools like Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas, to name a few.