Gladstone’s Addie Trombley (middle, holding giant check) poses for a photo with teammates after receiving Bay College’s Board of Trustees Elite Scholarship during a softball doubleheader against Ishpeming Westwood on April 18, 2024 at Gladstone High School. With the scholarship, Trombley has her tuition, fees and textbooks paid for during the next two years. ("The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

GLADSTONE –Gladstone senior Addie Trombley sat on a bucket in between games during the Braves’ softball doubleheader against Ishpeming Westwood on Thursday.

Her softball season came to an unexpected and painful end on Dec. 12, 2023 during the Braves’ girls basketball team’s second game of the season. Trombley tore her ACL, MCL and Meniscus during the second quarter of a 57-25 win.

Fast forward to Thursday and Trombley is relegated to the bench for Gladstone softball’s home opener.

But out of nowhere, two people holding TV cameras and three people holding a cardboard box, flowers and balloons make their way onto the dirt field.

While a dark cloud hovers over the 2024 season, a ray of sunshine broke through at that moment. It was announced at that moment that Trombley was a recipient of Bay College’s Board of Trustees Elite Scholarship.

This scholarship, which requires a GPA of 3.8 or higher. The scholarship covers every cent of Bay College for two years, including tuition, fees and textbook.

Only three high school seniors receive this scholarship in any particular year. In a moment of pure shock, Trombley became one of those three on Thursday.

“I was not expecting this at all,” Trombley admitted. “It feels so amazing that I was accepted for such a big scholarship. It means so much to me because I’ve been working really hard to earn this money for my college education.”

Trombley plans to attend Bay College to begin her secondary education in nursing.

“All my life I’ve kind of had the idea of going into the medical field,” Trombley said. “Then I had a recent injury, and that kind of just influenced my decision more. That kind of solidified my decision.”

Trombley was embraced immediately by teammates after receiving the scholarship. It’s a moment that won’t be forgotten by Trombley or anyone in Gladstone anytime soon.

“It just is nice to see all the young people be rewarded for their hard work academically,” Gladstone softball coach Rick Pepin said. “It was the perfect scenario for her tonight and her family. A proud moment for her parents, but also a proud moment for our softball program… to know that we have players like Addie Trombley representing Gladstone High School and Gladstone softball.”