Diana Wimpy could have chosen either track and field or softball and secured a scholarship to play at the next level, but the Woodland High senior put passion first.

Wimpy signed on the dotted line to play softball for Walter State, in Morristown, Tenn., on Thursday in her high school's gymnasium.

"It's beautiful up there. They have a great program and the coaches, they already seem like family to me," she said. "The team is great, and everything about it just fits me.

"I got a ton of letters in the mail, but most of it was for track, and I wanted to go with softball 'cause that's my passion," she said, listing schools such as Dayton State (Fla.) College, Southern Union State (Ala.) and University of North Carolina as those that sent letters.

Wimpy seems to have heeded her high school coach's advice to follow her heart.

"My advice to her was to choose the sport she likes and she's going to be happy with. She's the type of kid when she's playing softball, she loves softball, and when she's throwing the disc, she loves throwing her disc. I told her just think about it," Wildcats coach Colman Roberts said. "She needs to be happy, choose a college she's happy with. I think she's a softball player, and I definitely think she has a passion for it."

Wimpy's passion for softball showed last spring even as she prepped for an eventual state championship run in the discus throw.

"I got in trouble last spring. Of course, she's a state champion discus thrower," Roberts began. "I'm at the field working and so she'd throw and then she'd come hit, and I liked her doing it. I don't like her doing it during [track] season, but she hit on her own. She'd take a tee down there, a couple of buckets of balls and she'd hit. She's just a hard worker."

Walter State coach Larry Sauceman witnessed the fruits of Wimpy's labor when she visited Morristown, Tenn.

"I had her up to our place and watched her work out. She put on a show that I've never seen before -- strong arm, can run, hit. I mean, [she] was just pretty phenomenal," Sauceman said. "She put on a hitting expedition like I'd never seen before, so I knew, yeah, we need this kid. I think she can move on and be a force ... [at] Division I, without a doubt. [You] gotta do what you gotta do in the classroom, and I think the athletic ability will take her right where she wants to be."

Wimpy, who plans to major in fire science, hopes to perform well enough to continue playing after her time at Walter State comes to an end.

"I hope that I can go [play for] another two years [in] college and, hopefully, go to a bigger school and do the same," she said.

Sauceman, winner of 400-plus career games at Walter State, could help Wimpy continue her upward trajectory.

"From what I've heard, from what I've seen, he's a great coach. I think he'll bring out the next level in me and, hopefully, I'll do good," Wimpy said. "It's just another level [of competition] and, hopefully, I'll get better and stronger and do better."

Roberts anticipates his former player will have success at the next level.

"She's going to be a good player for [Walter State] and I think they're going to be a good fit. I know both of the coaches, and they're going to expect her to get it done in the classroom as well as on the field. They think a lot of her," he said. "On our end, we're going to miss her, her leadership. Her offense and defense is gonna be missed. She's a great player. I'm proud of her; I hope she goes on to bigger and better things after [Walter State], too."

During her senior year, Wimpy hit .577 with 49 RBIs, 12 home runs, 39 runs, 56 hits, five triples and 13 doubles. She had a .635 on-base percentage as she became Woodland's all-time career home run leader with 19, which put her in a three-way tie for fourth on the state's career list.

"I just think she could be one of the better ones that we've ever had," Sauceman acknowledged. "If she comes in and gets settled in and does what I think, I think she can be awesome. ... We're losing both of our catchers this year, so we're looking for her to come in and start playing right off the bat and doing 90 percent of the catching that we'll do next year."

The Lady Senators played the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in the fall, and their coach schedules four-year schools like that for a reason.

"In the fall, we played with people [like] Tennessee and Western Carolina and whoever. We try to play a lot of these four-year schools just to get these kids seen to where they can move and play somewhere," Sauceman said. "Who's to say she [Wimpy] can't play at some [school like] Tennessee? I don't know. I'll be able to tell you in a year. Hopefully, she comes in, does what she's supposed to do, moves on and has a great career somewhere else, [at] a big school."