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NATCHEZ — Teammates, friends and family gathered in Cathedral’s gym as senior softball player Lauren Dunbar officially signed with East Central Community College to play softball. East Central is located in Decatur. 

Dunbar said she wants to study biology and possibly go into pharmacy. On her tour of East Central, she was impressed by the genuine people and the coaching staff. She said while touring the campus, she had a feeling it was somewhere she wanted to be. 

“They showed interest in me early. It’s good to have someone there for you from the start,” Dunbar said. “I think I’m ready for it. I’ve been looking forward to it for a while. It has always been a dream of mine to play softball at the college level. To achieve it is an accomplishment.” 

She hopes to continue playing softball after her first two years at Junior College if possible. 

In her senior season with the Green Wave, Cathedral made it to the state tournament round of the softball playoffs. Dunbar was able to celebrate a district championship with her friends and teammates on Cathedral’s softball field too. 

This season, she bounced back from an ACL injury and was a standout player at shortstop after moving from Catcher. She played in the MAIS All-Star game this season. 

Typically, she does not want all of this attention, her dad Cedric Dunbar said. The spotlight was on her as she sat in front of about 30 of her teammates and friends. 

“Today is her day. We are extremely excited for her,” Cedric said. “She is extremely excited. She has an opportunity in which we can continue to watch her play softball. The sky has no limits for her.”