Comet all-state ace Sami Heyer signs with UNI Panthers

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Ask Sami Heyer what her favorite sport is, and she’ll say “basketball”.

But like many before her and even more after, Heyer’s hoop dreams were spoiled with back-to-back ACL knee injuries sustained during basketball-related activities.

“It was very hard to give it up,” said Heyer, who decided to forgo basketball after her freshman year where she emerged as an immediate star for Charles City Comets’ varsity squad.

It was also a tough setback for Comet girls basketball head coach Danielle Rippentrop, who said that Heyer was one of the most talented freshmen she has ever seen at the school.

“It’s just one of those things that happens in sports,” Rippentrop said. “You’ve got to respect her decision.”

Rippentrop was among the sizable group of teachers, coaches, family members and current and former teammates to congratulate Heyer Wednesday afternoon during her “National Signing Day” signature to pitch for the Northern Iowa Panthers softball team.

There was little suspense with Heyer’s ultimate choice as she had verbally committed to UNI before her junior season last spring.

There was also little surprise for Comet softball head coach Brian Bohlen that his two-time all-state ace landed a Division 1 scholarship.

“We knew Sami was a special player from the start,” Bohlen said, “but what sets her apart from other talented players is her work ethic.”

Heyer has compiled some impressive numbers during the last three seasons, which all saw Charles City advancing to the State Softball Championships. Her overall record is 48-13 and she has struck out 578 batters in nearly 200 fewer innings.

Last season, Heyer finished with a 1.04 earned run average that was under one for most the year, and held opponents’ to a .125 batting average.

It should be noted that Heyer is also a pretty good hitter as her career average is well above .300 and she has displayed the power to take it out of the park on occasion.

But for the past two seasons, Bohlen has often had other players hit for her.

“We’ve had a lot of good hitters to put in the lineup,” Bohlen said. “She’ll get more at-bats this season.”

Heyer is not only a multi-sport athlete, but a musician as well as she is a member of Charles City marching and concert bands.

Heyer also helps coordinate the high school’s blood drives and is involved in other programs like Freshman Retreat, NEIC Leadership and LEAD (Learning Everything About Differences).

But Heyer is not only an athlete, musician, community volunteer and leader … she’s also a student — and a standout one. She’s currently ranked No. 1 in her senior class and has a near-perfect — like many of her complete-game victories — grade-point-average of 3.995.

“It’s all about time management,” said Heyer, who was able to focus more on her offseason softball training during the winter after her basketball aspirations were derailed. “Sometimes you’ve got to make sacrifices when it comes to the best way to spend your time.”

Heyer plans to major in biology at UNI and eventually follow her mother, Jodi, into the medical profession.

Heyer will become the second softball player coached by Bohlen to play D1 softball at UNI.

Mara Forsyth played briefly for the Panthers in 2015 before transferring to Wartburg where she became the Knights’ all-time home run leader.