NIACC signs another Comet — Peyton Reams — to play softball

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The Minnesota Timberwolves have become the re-grouping destination for former Chicago Bulls — players and coaches.

Likewise, the North Iowa Area Community College softball team is going to be populated with several former Comets.

“That was one of the reasons why I decided to go there,” Charles City senior Peyton Reams said while describing the factors going into her decision to sign her letter of intent to continue her career with the with the Lady Trojans last week.

One of those factors was that one of her Comet teammates, Tayler Schmidt, had already signed on to play with the Lady Trojans.

“It’s nice to be going to a place while already knowing there’s going to be someone you know as a teammate,” said Reams, who hinted there may be other Comet teammates to follow in the near future but they have yet to make an official commitment.

As a junior last summer, Reams had a breakout season while taking over as the Comets’ starting center fielder and lead-off hitter. With fellow future Lady Trojan Schmidt, Reams was second on the team in homers (7) and stole 20 bases out of 21 attempts.

She hit .299 with had a slugging percentage of .515.

Reams was honored at end of the girls basketball season with the Amy Boley Heiter Memorial Scholarship Award. It was in memory of the former Comet basketball star who also continued her athletic career at NIACC before becoming a fatal victim of Synovial Sarcoma, a rare form of soft-tissue cancer.

The award is given to a graduating senior basketball player who best exemplifies Amy’s spirit of play and sportsmanship while inspiring others, and plans to pursue a career in education.

Reams will study elementary education at NIACC.

With the Comet basketball team, Reams — a point guard — was one of the team’s more valuable players while leading Charles City in assists and being the team’s most-reliable ball-handler, especially under full-court-pressure duress.

But she says softball by far has always her favorite sport, and hopes to help lead the Comets to their third-straight state appearance this summer shortly after she graduates.

“I’m looking forward to next season, but right now I’m focusing on track,” said Reams, who competes in multiple events.

“I just run any event my coach puts me in,” she said.

“I’ll be in good shape for softball.”