Rochelle Noren was slap-happy in her final season with the Adelphi University Panthers varsity softball team.

Known as a slap hitter, the Langley resident was named team MVP of the Garden City, NY squad after leading the Northeast-10 (NE-10) Division in hits (69) and stolen bases (42) while finishing second in runs scored (49).

Those numbers translated into a selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA NCAA Division II All-Region First-Team, as well as a first-team spot on the NE-10 Spring Academic All-Conference squad.

"It was amazing," said Noren, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management at Adelphi. "I had a lot of fun. The girls on the team were great. I was nominated to be a captain this year."

The centre-fielder, who graduated from Walnut Grove Secondary in 2006, played for the Panthers for two years after transferring from the College of Southern Idaho, where she spent two seasons playing for the Golden Eagles.

Noren joined the Panthers after catching the eye of Panthers head coach Paige Smith at a tournament in Arizona.

After a recruiting trip to Adelphi, Noren was hooked.

"I liked the school so much," she said.

Heading into this season, Noren said she had very high aspirations and goals.

"I fulfilled most of them," she said.

Team-wise, the Panthers finished with an 18-12 record in NE-10 play while going 32-24 overall. They ended up placing third among NE-10 teams in playoffs, after winning their first two games of the post-season, including knocking off the No. 1 team in the conference, the University of New Haven.

Adelphi lost their final two games, both in extra innings, to Southern Connecticut State University and American International College, which knocked the Panthers out of the double elimination tournament.

With her college career behind her, Noren is considering rejoining her old club team, the Surrey Storm, or another local team, while doing some coaching on the side.

"I did some volunteering and some paid coaching out in Garden City, where I helped out younger kids in different camps," Noren said.

Balancing school and softball was a lesson in both discipline and time management for Noren.

Some practices started as early as 6:30 a.m., and took up four to five hours per day, every day.

While the hectic schedule took a toll on her free time, Noren said the experience was well worth the sacrifice.

"I enjoy being with a team," Noren said. "It's like you have a whole other family. It's a lifestyle. You see them every day. I have made so many friends who live in different parts of the nation, and I look forward to keeping friendships with them and seeing where they go with their lives in the future."

A four-sport athlete, Noren has also competed in track, swimming, and soccer.

In fact, she turned down a soccer scholarship from Cumberland University in Tennessee to pursue her softball aspirations. The beauty of College of Southern Idaho's home town, Twin Falls, Idaho, was one of the factors in her decision to hang up her soccer cleats in favour of a ball glove and bat.

"When I came on my visit to Twin Falls [during my recruiting trip] the canyon was one of the most beautiful things I have seen," Noren told the Langley Advance in 2008 [Walnut Grove grad helps Golden Eagles soar]. "The college is beautiful, the employees are nice and supportive and CSI has high expectations for their sport teams. They care a lot about their athletes - we are well known throughout the college and we are treated very well. I love both sports, soccer and softball, but CSI just felt right."

tlandreville@langleyadvance.com