SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lauren Washburn has committed to play softball at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, fulfilling a lifetime dream to play in college.

“It took a lot,” said Washburn of her softball career. “I have been trying to do it (have a chance to play softball in college) since the seventh grade. To finally be able to say, I am going somewhere to play softball is achieving that goal.”

Washburn is a three-year letter winner in the St. Francis softball program. She is hitting .500 this season with 22 RBI with seven multi-hit games. She had a season-high four RBI in a win over Casa Roble earlier this season.

“She is a consistent hitter and puts the ball in the play,” said Head Coach Kevin Warren. “She is a great situational hitter who understands the game and is a student of the game.”

Washburn will join a program coached by Jill Gagnon, who is in her fourth season. She led the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons in her first two years and a berth in the NCAA Division II Championship in 2015. The Hawks upset third-seed Queens College in the first round. She has coached 10 all-conference selections in her tenure,

Washburn found her school by starting with her academic interests. She is going to study forensic science and minor in chemistry at Saint Anselm, a Catholic Benedictine school that plays in the Division II Northeast-10 Conference.

“Not many schools have the forensic science major,” recalled Washburn about her academic search. “We googled it and a list of schools came up and I applied to them. It looked the most appealing and I started emailing the coach, starting the relationship and I went on a visit.”

Washburn was drawn to the campus. The school is located on a hilltop overlooking Manchester, N.H., within an hour of the seacoast, Boston, the White Mountains and New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.

“It is very pretty out in New Hampshire and there is a lot of snow,” said Washburn. “It was a really pretty campus and people were very nice and friendly.”

The snow presents challenges for a sport played outdoors in the spring and will provide a contrast to the sunny California weather Washburn is accustomed to in Sacramento.

“Right now the field is still covered in snow so they have been traveling a lot,” said Washburn. “I like to travel and they go to states like Florida and Massachusetts to play a lot.”

Entering the third week of league play, Washburn still has more than half her senior season left with the Troubadours. She hopes to make the most of it for her and her Troubie teammates.

 “I want to keep being a team player and help St. Francis go somewhere (in the postseason),” said Washburn.

Washburn will participate in the St. Francis Signing Day Celebration on April 12 at 9 .a.m.