×

Escanaba pitcher signs with Wisconsin

Gabi Salo made verbal commitment two years ago

The Daily Press Photo Escanaba senior Gabi Salo signed a letter of intent to pitch at the University of Wisconsin on Tuesday. Pictured behind are her parents, Gary and Lori.

ESCANABA — Two years ago, Gabi Salo verbally committed to playing softball at the University of Wisconsin. Tuesday in the Escanaba High School library, she made that dream a reality.

Salo, with her father and coach, Gary, and her mother Lori behind her, signed the dotted line to officially become a Wisconsin Badger on National Signing Day.

“It feels great,” Salo said with a smile on her face. “It’s what I’ve been waiting on for two years now since I verbaled, and it’s what everyone dreams about when they start playing a sport — to get to go to the collegiate level. I’m lucky enough to be one of those people.”

Salo’s recruitment process began a couple years ago when she started attending some major softball camps. After attending numerous camps, she set her eyes on wanting to go to a Big Ten school. As soon as she stepped on campus at Wisconsin, she knew it was the place for her.

“It just had the perfect mix of everything,” said Salo, who’s going into nursing. “They have a world class education, they have world class facilities, the coaches are absolutely amazing, and I fell in love right when I walked on campus. Everything was like a puzzle, and every piece to my puzzle was at Wisconsin.”

Salo noted she had a couple of other schools on her radar, but her love for Wisconsin made it an easy choice.

“She started off doing some softball camps at Central (Michigan University), and she really liked that,” Gary Salo said. “When she started doing travel ball downstate and all the over place, she knew she wanted to go to a Big Ten school. She went to Wisconsin, and she fell in love with the campus right when she walked on.”

Like most athletes who end up going to a Division 1 school, Salo’s potential was apparent at a very young age. She started playing travel ball with the Escanaba Heartbreakers at just 10 years old, then started pitching for downstate teams. Softball has taken her all over the country, from Georgia, to Colorado, to California.

“(Her softball career) started a long, long time ago,” Gary Salo said. “Gabi always threw a little harder than a lot of kids. Her work ethic put her on a different level than a lot of people around here thought she was capable of doing, and she just kept working and working.”

Salo signed on the same day her catcher, Dakota Cloutier, signed at Ferris State University.

“It is very fitting — she never gets enough credit back there,” Salo said. “Signing with one of your best friends is kind of cool.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today