Senior Nai Lah Long, a member of the girls softball team, has committed to Dillard University in New Orleans to play NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes) Division One softball. Long has been playing softball for seven years and has been a strong member of the Culver City High School team, having won the “Best Outfield Leader” award during her Junior season. Recently, she was awarded the Spectrum Athletic scholarship, along with her scholarship to Dillard, which is one of the reasons she was excited to commit.
When asked “Why Dillard?” Long said, “Out of all the HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), they have the top nursing program.” Long’s goal is to study nursing, and she said she has plans to become a neonatal nurse. Dillard University is currently in its very first year of playing softball, and Long says that she is excited to “be a part of something new” on the campus and to help develop the program during her time at the school.
When asked what she loves about softball, Long said “the family aspect” of the sport is the reason she has enjoyed playing. Playing on her travel ball has allowed her to form close relationships with other players, as some that she plays with on her team, the OC Batbusters, live “all over the place.” At school, she says her teammates have become “like her sisters” because “you see them every day and you also have to play with them”, which is how they are able to form a close community.
Long is also excited for her upcoming season at CCHS and said she thinks they “have a good chance of going pretty far” this year.
