Playing college softball has been on Mexico senior Abby Bellamy’s mind for as long as she can remember.

Ever since Bellamy said she was five years old, she had a dream of playing at the next level, which was made official on Thursday at the Mexico Sports Complex. The three-time all-North Central Missouri Conference and one-time all-state player Bellamy signed to play for NJCAA school St. Louis Community College.

“I always knew that it was a thing and was like, ‘Whoa, you can play sports and do college and get yourself ready to go in the world? Wow, that’s crazy,’” Bellamy said. “Then I actually started learning more about it and was like, ‘Wow, that’s actually fairly cool.

“I chose St. Louis (Community College) because of the coach. She was really nice and very persistent with trying to reach out to me. And it’s not just softball aspects, she is really emotional - and mental-health associated and she really cares for all of the players.”

Bellamy said she has grown up playing softball and developed an interest from her family that also played. Her mother, Kris, and sister, Brittany, helped the younger Bellamy realize that softball is something that she knows and loves.

“My mom and sister both played softball in high school,” Bellamy said. “(Brittany) did play travel ball. Her travel ball team was the Hotshots. I went to all of her games, and I’d sit there, watch, and sometimes, I’d get bored. Then, I’d come back and watch because I’d hear them cheer, and I’d be like ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ There’s always something to be watched.”

Bellamy has been entertaining to watch during her career as a Lady Bulldog with her senior campaign ending with her third all-conference and third all-district selection and her second all-region selection. She finished with eight home runs, 39 hits, 18 extra-base hits, 38 RBI, a .419 batting average, a .491 on-base percentage and a .819 slugging percentage.

She was even better during her junior campaign, posting 10 home runs, 42 hits, 15 doubles, 37 RBI, 89 totals bases, a .512 batting average, a .556 on base percentage and a 1.085 slugging percentage in 82 at bats. The home runs, doubles, total bases and slugging percentage were all school records and earned Bellamy a first-team all-state selection.

Curt Riley became the head coach of the Mexico program this past season but still saw plenty of Bellamy to realize how special she is and how she will thrive at the college level.

“When you go off to play in college, that’s the main thing — you’ve got to be able to compete at a high level,” Bellamy said. “She’s used to that with some of the travel teams she’s played on and teams she’s played on here in Mexico. She’s played at a high level, she’s played in some big games and she’s helped win some big games.”

Bellamy has all the tools, Riley said, especially her power and defense she has brought to third base. Riley said he was glad to see Bellamy officially sign with a school as he was aware of her dream and finding a school can be difficult on top of a senior’s school responsibilities.

Riley said he was grateful for the leadership all the team’s seniors brought to the program this season as they are a big reason the Lady Bulldogs’ record improved from 11-10 to 19-13.

“I think seniors always want to go out a certain way,” Riley said. “We’re excited for Abby. We’re so glad she got this opportunity at a place she wanted to go.”

Bellamy said the previous season for her was a lot about passing her knowledge of the game on to the younger players as it will be up to them to keep the program going.

“I was focused more on getting closer to the younger people, helping them flourish in the environment,” Bellamy said. “I was trying to help them behind the scenes with hitting and fielding because they’re going to be here and they’re going to continue to grow.”

While Bellamy is going to miss her friends in Mexico as they go to their own new destinations, she is eager for the new challenge and new scenery after spending her life up to this point in the Brick City.

Bellamy said having a smaller student-teacher ratio despite the school being located close to a big city also was attractive, and she expects the campus to look even nicer after the renovations are finished.

“I get to build myself a new starting point and then build off of that,” Bellamy said. “I’m just going to miss friends because I have a lot of softball friends here off of the high school team.”

Some of those friends will be playing college softball too, Bellamy said, as is the case with senior pitcher Eboni Mayfield next season with Moberly Area Community College — a school in the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference along with St. Louis Community College and seven other teams. Bellamy hopes to have a friendly rivalry with Mayfield in the near future.

“I think we’ll go up against them a couple of times,” Bellamy said, teasingly. “Hopefully, I’ll be seeing her out there. I would love to hit off of her. We definitely did play against each other a little bit during travel ball.”