Sports

East softball standout to follow fellow Alaskan to Division I Louisiana Tech

A new pipeline has opened up between Alaska and Louisiana. But rather than shipping oil, the 49th state is exporting softball talent south to Division I Louisiana Tech University.

The school in Ruston, Louisiana, announced Tuesday it has signed its second highly prized Alaska recruit in East High senior Taria Page, last season's Gatorade Player of the Year for Alaska.

"I'm very excited," Page said on Wednesday. "I'm really happy they kept up with me."

At Louisiana Tech, Page will join Pauline Tufi, a West High product who was a three-time Alaska player of the year and has already established herself as one of the top players for the Lady Techsters.

In a press release issued Tuesday, Louisiana Tech head coach Mark Montgomery said Page, a power-hitting shortstop, has been on his radar since her days as a key member of Nunaka Valley Little League teams that reached the Little League World Series three times and won a world championship in 2012.

"We have been watching Taria since her eighth grade year," Montgomery said. "At 6-foot-2, she obviously has big-time power at the plate, but she also has such quick feet."

Montgomery said he'll likely try to move Page to either first or third base.

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"I look for her to compete at the corners," he said.

Page said a recent visit to Louisiana with her dad, Larry, convinced her Louisiana Tech was the right choice.

"It's such a beautiful campus," she said.

Montgomery said Page is a rare talent.

"Taria's ability is off the charts and we are so excited she decided to follow Pauline Tufi and come here for her education," he said.

Page said she has known Tufi since she was 9 or 10 and they played together on Nunaka Valley teams. Tufi is "like family to me," Page said.

"I think that will really be a big help with the transition, going down there and having somebody that you know well, that's close to your heart," Page said. "It'll help me get used to softball, college life and all of that."

At East, Page has been a big part of a historically dominant program. In the past three seasons, East has gone 79-1 while winning three state titles. The T-birds will take a 60-game winning streak when the season starts next spring. Last year, they went 27-0, outscoring opponents 292-21, and Page was the team's offensive star. She batted .741 with 13 home runs, 44 RBI and 48 runs scored. She's been an all-state performer each year in high school, getting first-team nods her sophomore and junior seasons.

East coach Paul Schoenborn said Page is "by far" the best player in Alaska.

"She's a home run threat as soon as she picks up the bat," Schoenborn said of Page, who also stars for the East volleyball and basketball teams.

He said Page is extremely coachable with a warm, funny personality.

"She always tells me she wants to bunt," Schoenborn said.

Page said she hasn't made up her mind on a major, although she's leaning toward kinesiology. Whatever her course of study, the 17-year-old said she's excited to have the opportunity to play softball in the warm Louisiana temperatures.

"I'll have an opportunity to play year-round, which is what you want if you want to do your passion 24-7," she said.

Contact sports reporter Matt Tunseth at 257-4335 or mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com

Matt Tunseth

Matt Tunseth is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and former editor of the Alaska Star.

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