Cornerstone’s three Gruppen sisters —Leah, Dinah and Rachel — have contributed, and are contributing, to CU’s women’s softball team.

Leah played for the team the last four seasons and now coaches, while Dinah and Rachel are just arriving as freshmen, bringing along their ability to be versatile on the field.

Leah’s four years playing on Cornerstone’s softball team are over, but she has become an assistant coach and will be helping the team’s pitchers this upcoming season.

“I chose Cornerstone because it was close to home,” Leah said. “It had a Christian atmosphere, the opportunity to play softball and the financial help I received.”

Head coach Jim Farrell recruited Leah from Zeeland, and once on the team, Farrell was impressed by Leah’s desire to stay in shape, whether in season or not. He respected the amount of time she put in and how she wanted to improve her game.

“Leah was a very dominant high school pitcher, she broke many records and was just a solid all-around player,” Farrell said. “She is an extremely hard worker, the most dedicated to her condition of all the players I’ve ever had. She likes to be in the middle of the action, she wants the ball in tough situations, and she expects a lot out of herself.”

When Leah started attending Cornerstone, Dinah and Rachel were only beginning high school, and Farrell remembers seeing them at some of the games, and also seeing them play when he recruited other players. Dinah felt coming to Cornerstone was pretty natural, and Leah being here helped her make that decision.

“My sister came here, so I knew the school and the girls on the softball team and the coach,” Dinah said. “It is a Christian school, and it’s close to home. It just felt like this was where I was supposed to be.”

Rachel reflected on how the three sisters did not get a chance to play on the same team because Leah was five grades ahead of Rachel and Dinah, but they still have been able to find a way to play together.

“We’ve played on the same team in the summer for the last five years, but never on a school or travel team,” Rachel said.

Leah is student teaching, and since she has joined the coaching staff, she is still able to work with her old teammates as well as the new ones, including her sisters.

“I am glad they chose to come here,” Leah said. “I consider them my best friends, and so when they decided to sign I was really excited, because I knew that I would be working directly with them and would be able to spend time together outside of softball. I think they are a great fit for the program and will be able to do some big time damage on the field.”

Farrell is glad that Leah is now working with the team, especially as a pitching coach, because then she would be working with her sisters, and he feels that it would make them more comfortable on the team. Farrell believes that they are a good fit for the softball program and are two great additions to the team.

“They’re good ballplayers; we felt like they could come in here and contribute,” Farrell said. “We knew we were getting two quality kids from a great family, and that is such a big part of what we’re trying to do as far as creating an environment here of players that love God, want a great education and love to play the game.”