On Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, Cheltenham seniors Madison Bear and Rebecca Simms were recognized at a special recognition breakfast for committing to play softball at the collegiate level. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Rebecca Simms – University of Rhode Island (Softball)
Final list of colleges: URI, University at Albany, Mount St. Mary’s
Reasons for choosing URI: “Mount St. Mary’s was too small, so that was pretty easy to cross off. Albany is a lot like Rhode Island. Rhode Island – when I got there – had more of a family feel. If I’m going far from home, then I need to be around people that are close knit. Even though it’s a big school, there’s still a sense of community there.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate softball? “I knew I always wanted to play softball at a higher level, but I didn’t know that I wanted to play in college until I joined my travel team – TNT – when I was a sophomore. The seniors that were going (to play in college) were all going D-1, and the seniors the next year were all going D-1. I figured out I could do it. I knew what it took, and I knew I had the abilities both physically and mentally.”
Coach Ron Perlstein says: “Rebecca is a very hard worker. She’s somebody who does things to make herself a better ballplayer, and she’s improved a great deal. She’s somebody who works very hard in practice, she’s somebody who’s always there during workouts, and she is somebody who is always positive. She’s always willing to help. She’s just a great girl to coach – very, very coachable and very talented.
“She’s fast, and she had the big home run that hit the scoreboard in the top of the seventh against Upper Merion in that dramatic victory, and that sealed the deal for us to win a share of the Suburban One American Conference championship.
“Rebecca plays first base. She’s tall and (has) perfect form for a first baseman. She’s somebody who has been doing the stretch at first base since I can remember, and she does it naturally. She’s been starting since she was a sophomore, and last year was her big successful year.”
About Rebecca:
Favorite food: Chicken Parm
Favorite movie: Shrek
Favorite music: Alternative
Madison Bear – Penn State University – Abington (Softball)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Penn State-Abington, Gwynedd Mercy, Eastern
Reasons for choosing Penn State-Abington: “Penn State has been a family thing – it’s been in the family 
for a while, and that was my first choice. I liked the campus size. I’m not a person that’s into very big crowds, so the campus size is great.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate softball? “I’ve been playing softball since I was four years old, and I don’t know what I would be doing if I wasn’t playing softball. I always wanted to play in college.
“My junior year I started looking at colleges and started doing college showcases for tournament softball, and colleges were reaching out to me.”
Coach Ron Perlstein says: “Maddie Bear plays center field and also has inclination for the dramatic. She made a diving catch against Upper Merion, and she’s a very good defensive player and comes up with timely hits on offense. She’s more of a doubles hitter than anything. She sprays the ball all over the place.
“She’s also somebody who works hard. She pushes herself, and she’s been one of our core players for four years.”
About Madison:
Favorite food: Mashed Potatoes
Favorite movie: Beetlejuice
Favorite music: Arctic Monkeys
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