Duke softball star Gisele Tapia couldn’t leave the sport without saying goodbye.
After her collegiate career came to an end in Oklahoma City last week, Tapia wrote a ‘Dear Softball’ letter and narrated it for the NCAA account.
Tapia, a graduate student who spent the last five seasons with the Blue Devils, played in more than 250 games with Duke. She batted .362 in 2023, her first senior season (she earned an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 extension in 2020). She also set career-highs with 12 doubles and 50 RBIs that season, and she finished her career with 17 home runs.
Tapia also watched the rise of Duke’s softball program. Her freshman season in 2020 was the third season in program history. Two years later, Duke reached its first Super Regional in school history, and this past year, she helped lead the Blue Devils to their first Women’s College World Series berth.
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Tapia told the sport in her letter. “I truly couldn’t have imagined this life without this sport.”
Watch Tapia’s entire goodbye message to her college sport below.