By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

It was a breakout season for former Callaway High softball standout Keshonna Terrell.

Terrell had a monster junior campaign for the Clark Atlanta softball team, hitting .379 with two home runs, seven triples and 28 RBIs.

Terrell was named to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference team.

“My junior year, that’s when I really got comfortable,” Terrell said. “That’s when I started showing my talent.”

Terrell, after a phenomenal run as a Callaway softball player, broke onto the scene in 2017 when she started 36 games and hit .294 with 11 doubles and 27 RBIs.

As productive as Terrell was in high school, there was no guarantee that success would carry over to college, something she was well aware of.

“It’s a very different level,” Terrell said. “At first, you just think it’s softball, it’s the same game, but it’s not. It’s more competition. You have to see if you can really reach your potential.”

Terrell realized early on that she had what it took to make an impact on the college level.

“I was thinking I wouldn’t be nervous, because it’s softball, but I was,” Terrell said, reflecting on her first college game. “My first at-bat, I hit a double in the gap, and it was just like a relief. I thought OK, I can do this. It’s still softball. Just play the game.”

In 2018, Terrell hit .241 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs.

It all came together this season for Terrell, who played in a team-leading 32 games and was third on the team in batting average and second in RBIs.

Terrell also showed off her speed with the seven triples, and she actually led NCAA Division II in triples per game.

“I push myself,” Terrell said. “It’s all about pushing yourself, and seeing what you can do.”

Terrell’s quest now is to do even more in 2020 in what will be her final season as college-softball player.

“I’ll just try to out-do what I did my last three years,” Terrell said. “You always try to out-do that. That’s it. Just stay focused, and graduate.”

It’ll be the last go-around for a handful of seniors, including Terrell, who have been with the program since 2017.

“My freshman year, I had three friends, and we’re still together, still playing softball,” Terrell said.

Since Clark is in Atlanta, just up the road from Terrell’s hometown, her family members have been able to watch her play a lot over the years, and that’s something she’s grateful for.

“Support is everything,” Terrell said. “My family, they come and support me when I can. It’s great to have that support.”

Terrell isn’t the only member of the family playing a college sport.

Terrell’s younger brother, Lichon Terrell, will be a red-shirt freshman defensive lineman at Western Kentucky this season after playing in two games last fall.

“We both work hard,” Keshonna Terrell said. “We’re happy for each other, proud for each other.”

Terrell is an education major, so when her college days are done she’ll begin the next stage of her life.

“I want to teach, and I want to coach softball,” she said. “So we’ll see what the future holds.”