When Rachel Sysum was a little girl, she was very involved in gymnastics. Between the ages of five and ten it took up most of her life. Then at age 10, Rachel decided she was ready to move on and explore some other options. She played soccer, softball, and volleyball until she was thirteen. “By then I wanted to get serious with softball,” Rachel shared. “I really liked how you can play and succeed as an individual and as a team.”

Today this Henry M. Jackson High School student is hitting it out of the park on the fastpitch softball team. With aspirations to play softball at the college level, Rachel joined the Jackson High School team as a freshman and says, “It was nice to be able to learn from the older girls. Everything they had to say about school and softball has helped me get to where I am today.” 

Rachel has grown closer to her team with each year that goes by. Her teammates are what most inspire her to keep pushing herself and growing as a player. “I have all my besties on my team. We train and play and work hard together,” she says. “They want to succeed, which makes me want to succeed, and it’s fun to get out there and play the sport together.”

From her freshman year up to now, Rachel has broken several school records for softball and hopes to break even more during her final high school season. Her current record for home runs is 16 in one season, which is the JHS all-time record. “In my sophomore year I hit about two compared to ten homeruns in my freshman year,” Rachel explains, “so coming back from that and kicking it up a notch gave me a lot of confidence!”

When her junior year was in full swing, Rachel started hearing from colleges hopeful to recruit her to play for their teams. None were quite so excited as Fresno State. “They contacted me right away to come out to their school for a visit,” Rachel shares. She flew out to California in October of 2022 to check out the school. “As soon as I walked onto campus, I knew it was where I wanted to go. They had such a great small-town, family atmosphere,” she says.

Rachel committed to Fresno State on signing day last November and is looking forward to becoming an official Bulldog. “I’m excited to get to college to be on my own and try my own things,” she shares. “I’m also really looking forward to playing and traveling with the softball team. Being able to play against some of the top college teams will be an awesome experience!”

In the meantime, Rachel and the Jackson High School team are practicing hard for their senior season. As Rachel points out, “We won state last year which was awesome, and we are really hoping to do it again!”

Congratulations on your incredible achievements, Rachel, and good luck to JHS for your last Timberwolf season!