Myra Russell has dreams of hitting more home runs in her future.

The Cass senior will get an opportunity to do that, as she signed a scholarship this week to play at Southern Union, a two-year college in Wadley, Ala.

Russell said she plans to keep her career and athletic opportunities open in those two years -- her interests are in being a chiropractor or involved in sports medicine. She also hopes to continue playing college softball after the two years are up and will weigh her options at that point.

Russell said she loves the game, particularly its offensive side.

"I fell in love with softball as a sophomore," she said. "I love the feeling you get when the ball leaves the bat. It's just a great feeling when you see it go out to the green or over the fence."

Russell, who was the No. 1 catcher at Cass her senior and junior years, said she didn't hit any homers for Cass High although she sent them out of the park in recreation play and during practice at Cass.

"I hope I go off to college and hit many home runs," she said.

The two-year Cass starter said she became interested in Southern Union after she caught the attention of its coach while playing in an exposure tournament in Birmingham last summer.

"I had a good hit, and their coach (Brad Pittman) contacted me," she said.

The school is interested in her as a power hitter and catcher.

The scholarship is rewarding a lot of effort Russell has put into the game since her father talked her into going out for softball at Excel Christian Academy as a ninth grader.

She said she enjoyed the sport that year but came to love it her sophomore season, particularly as she began playing travel ball and started honing her hitting skills.

Russell credits Deb Sonnenberg, one of her travel coaches, with helping her develop as a hitter.

"She helped me with my point of contact," Russell said.

The Cass star said with Sonnenberg's guidance, she adjusted her swing to meet the ball between her chest and waist, improving the power in her swing.

"It took me a couple of months to change my swing," she said, "but I got the hang of it."

Russell began attending Cass her junior year and won the starting catching position.

She felt comfortable with the change, partly because another of her travel coaches -- Greg Hight -- is one of the softball coaches there.

She said playing for Cass not only allowed her to continue developing her skills but also let her compete against some of her former teammates from travel ball.

Russell said perhaps her best memory was when Cass defeated Woodland in their first meeting of the season.

The Cass catcher drove in the winning run in a 4-3 defeat of the Lady Wildcats on August 26.

"I knocked the run in off a triple," she said. "I knew I had to hit the ball where it was pitched to win and I was really nervous.

"It was outside and low and I reached out and hit it to right field."

She said the victory was sweeter because Woodland is such a big rival for Cass and features a lot of individuals she has played with.

But she noted Woodland added more fuel to the rivalry fire by defeating Cass (4-2) on its senior night.

Cass head coach Chris Allen said Russell brings a lot of skills to the game.

"She led the team in RBIs and doubles," he said.

He said she is a power hitter with a strong enough throwing arm to give base runners looking to steal something else to think about.

But he said her willingness to work to improve her skills sets her apart as a player.

"She was always asking coaches if there's something she could do to improve her game," he said. "She's always looking for a reason to get on the field rather than a reason not to get on it.

"That's why I believe she will make it at the next level. I have complete faith in her."