Marsha Heimuli finds a way to excel at whatever sport she happens to try.
Having garnered all-state honors in basketball and softball, the Orem High senior has signed with Salt Lake Community College to play softball and hopes to be the team's starting catcher next season.
"I feel like she's the best catcher in the state, and if she wants to play division one (in college), she has unlimited potential," Orem coach Paul Clark said. "She has a strong arm. She has everything."
However, she didn't always ply her softball trade from behind the plate. As a freshman, opponents could find her covering the field and snagging line drives at shortstop. But that was before Clark came in as the new coach and needed a catcher.
"My number one priority was catcher and pitcher, so I looked to Marsha. She has every potential to become a great, great player, maybe even beyond college," praised Clark.
Yet, Heimuli insists much of the credit should go elsewhere. "If it weren't for my teammates, I wouldn't be getting any of this because help from my team is a big part of what makes me so successful," she said.
One teammate in particular has been by Heimuli's side since she moved to Utah and added softball to her sports repertoire at the age of 10, and they'll continue their camaraderie at the next level. Tigers hurler Devrie Downey has also agreed to play softball for SLCC.
"We work well together and generally agree on pitches," Heimuli said. "Sometimes we both just kind of calm each other down."
Downey agreed. "We know what each other's thinking. She knows if I'm upset, and she'll come out and talk to me and calm me down. I know if she's mad, cause she'll fire it back at me."
And when Heimuli decides to fire a ball at someone, they know it's coming. "She has as good an arm as I've seen on a girl," added Clark. "She has a lot of natural strength."
He also noted that she comes by her athletic prowess rightly. Her mother Momi plied her trade with volleyball and basketball while her father Martin stirred it up on the rugby field. Her older brother was also a three-sport athlete for the Tigers. She has two uncles that played football for BYU in Lakei and Hema, and they, along with other family members, are actually the reason Marsha's parents decided to move their two children from Hawaii's Big Island to Utah County.
"We moved to Utah for a better education," Marsha noted. "We had family up here before. All of my immediate family is here."
The Big Island didn't offer a softball program to young girls, so Heimuli began by playing baseball with the boys when she was young. She switched to softball when the family moved to Utah and continued with her basketball. Because she wanted to try something new, volleyball came into play when she was a freshman, and she found herself leading the Tigers on all three teams.
But she's happy Clark moved her to catcher. "I like being behind the plate. It's fun because you're in every single pitch in the game."
She enjoys hitting too and is currently smacking the ball at about a .385 hitting percentage. "Marsha can be an elite player," added her coach. "If she would dedicate herself and work hard enough her potential is unlimited."
He does believe, however, that she'll have to concentrate on one sport upon her move to college and put all her time and energy into softball to reach her potential. But for now, he's just happy the Heimuli-Downey partnership is on his side.
"I don't know of a better pitcher-catcher combination in the state. I think Marsha doesn't really have an equal in the state," Clark claimed. "Both of them have been involved in the last four years in every victory, every moment that we've had."
Last year the Tigers peaked early and bowed out of the playoffs, but "this year we think we're going to peak at the right time, and we'll be right there at the end," Clark said.