NSS student Nessman proves she's got game
Dec 16, 2024
It’s not every day that pitchers hit a home run.
But when it came to accomplishing one of her most coveted goals, Tatum Nessman hit one out of the park.
The Grade 12 National Sport School (NSS) student accepted an NCAA Division 1 softball scholarship in September 2023, committing to Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., where she will take to the mound with the Dolphins next fall.
While she can’t help but look ahead to her time in the Empire State, Nessman is quick to reflect on how the NSS has made an undeniable difference in so many wonderful ways.
“It's a really positive environment and I enjoy coming to school,” says Nessman. “I remember in my last year of my previous school that I was struggling to even want to go. I feel like all the teachers here are very supportive and I don’t feel afraid or judged in class for voicing my opinion or asking questions. I don’t feel guilty for missing school, and I still get to achieve school and ball.”
The two spares in her current class schedule are dedicated to receiving extra academic support and catching up on any assignments she has missed during softball-related excused absences.
Nessman, who made the switch to the NSS prior to Grade 10, details why that time was right for her to start at the WinSport-based school.
Tatum Nessman is excited to further her education (and softball) at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.
“I came across it online and saw they started a softball program for students in Grade 10,” Nessman explains. “It was being advertised around the softball community and I was very interested because I was struggling in Grade 9 to keep up with the amount of school I was missing. So, it worked out.”
Softball training is twice per week during the school year, and Nessman spends her summer months pitching for the River City Hornets of the Greater Edmonton Softball Association. She helped the Hornets win a provincial championship last year.
In determining how to best attract post-secondary softball offers from the United States, Nessman elected to email a professional video compilation of her highlights to every Division 1 school from America’s Northeast and West Coast regions.
The Dolphins were the earliest to respond, contacting her at 7 a.m. on the first day schools were permitted to do so. Nessman then went on an official visit to campus and loved everything about it. Despite the significant distance from Calgary, she was reminded of her Canadian roots and will be located just a three-hour drive from relatives in Ottawa.
“It’s really hard to make a decision about those things because you know you’re going to be there for the next four years,” she says. “But you just trust your gut. After the period where you could start talking with schools, I committed within the first three weeks.”
Apart from focusing on her on-field obligations, Nessman is strongly considering enrolling in the Madden College of Business and Economics at Le Moyne. The 17-year-old aspires for a post-playing career within the statistics department of a Major League Baseball team.
“I feel like my Div. 1 scholarship and the business degree would help me get to where I want to be,” she says with surefire optimism.
The future is bright for Nessman, and the National Sport School will be cheering her on from across the continent as her amateur playing days head into extra innings.