Last April, during her first and only season with the Bruin softball team, trailing against rival College of Southern Idaho, Ellie Pond stepped up and swung — a home run.
“That was a very big moment for my team,” Pond said. “And then we ended up following through and winning that game.”
Moments like that defined Pond’s freshman campaign at Salt Lake Community College. From Providence, Utah, Pond arrived from Ridgeline High School, where she won two state championships, followed by finishing as the runner-up in 2023.
Pond’s path to SLCC
Any athlete with such accolades out of high school would be a great college prospect.
“I also really liked Salt Lake … and I felt like I kind of needed to get to know it a little bit better,” Pond said. “I thought it would be good for me to see what life was like outside of Logan, but not too far away.”
When choosing which school to attend, Pond said the promise of both growth and opportunity that sealed the deal for her to select SLCC.
“During my visit, my coaches told me that they could get me to the next level [and] that was my dream growing up,” she said. “I always wanted to go D1 and play softball … so that was what really caught my attention.”
Rising as a prominent player
That promise was fulfilled when the Scenic West Athletic Conference named Pond its 2025 Player of the Year, an honor that’s voted on by league coaches. She also earned recognition by being selected to the NJCAA All-American Second-Team.
“She [Pond] plays with her heart on her sleeve,” said assistant coach Tara Rodrick. “She plays passionate, aggressive, and it’s just that little bit of confidence [that] kind of sets her above a lot of other players.”
Pond said she was surprised after being told about her awards.
“I was shocked. I actually — at first, I didn’t really believe it,” Pond admitted. “Because when I was playing, I never looked at my stats.”
Looking back on the season, Pond said she couldn’t ignore the reward that came from all her hard work.
“And so, to kind of see those accomplishments was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” she reflected.
Plans for 2026 and beyond
Pond’s next chapter takes her to Grand Canyon University, fulfilling her goal of playing Division 1 softball.
“I think a big one is just to be a better athlete, but not just like a better athlete, a better person,” Pond said of her future goals.
Through it all, Pond is quick to shift the spotlight — not on herself, but on her Bruin teammates who lifted her up along the way.
“I love my teammates. Every single one of those girls,” Pond said. “I don’t think there was a single girl on that team that I did not like. Every single one of them. I got along with them really well.”
