LAGRANGE, Ga. – Alexa Gonzalez (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), a 2025 LaGrange College graduate and former standout on the Panthers' softball team, has been awarded the 2025 Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship, created in partnership with the Natasha Watley Foundation and the Glasco family. Gonzalez will receive funding to attend the 2025 NFCA National Convention, Dec. 10-13 in Las Vegas.

Reviewed and voted on by the NFCA Awards Committee and Gerry Glasco, the scholarship is awarded to a female member coach who shows a commitment to growing the game of fastpitch in her community and has a need for financial assistance to attend the Convention. It is dedicated to remembering Geri Ann Glasco, an aspiring coach and elite former student-athlete, who lost her life on Jan. 24, 2019 in Lafayette, La.

Gonzalez, a first-year graduate assistant with her alma mater, will receive a complimentary Convention registration, $700 in travel reimbursement and up to four nights at the Convention's host hotel.

"Alexa has a natural gift for teaching the game, paired with a genuine care for the development of the young women she works with," said LaGrange head coach Melanie Rushing. "The opportunity to attend Convention would provide Alexa with a massive head start exposing her to the breadth of possibilities in this profession and equipping her with tools and strategies she can apply immediately, both with our current team and in her future high school program."

Touted by Rushing as one of the program's most respected leaders, Gonzalez is pursuing her master's in education with plans to become a high school coach and teacher which is the first step in what Rushing believes will be an impactful career in education and athletics. In addition to being in the LaGrange dugout, Gonzalez is currently helping out with a local high school softball program.

"Alexa's work ethic, passion for teaching and vision for impacting young athletes make her an ideal candidate for this scholarship," said Rushing. "I am confident she will represent the NFCA with professionalism and gratitude, and the investment in her development will pay it forward many times over through the athletes and programs she serves."
Gonzalez will be recognized on Thursday, Dec. 11 during the Convention's annual mentoring workshop, which is presented by SixFour3.

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