Stone Ridge Christian High celebrates two athletes moving on to four-year schools
Stone Ridge Christian High softball star Cali Cole loved playing her first two years of high school with her older sister Caitlyn.
The two Cole sisters have played on the same team often growing up.
Soon they’ll be teammates again in college with Cali Cole recently signing her national letter of intent to play softball at CSU Pueblo, where she’ll join Caitlyn, who is playing her second season.
“I can’t wait,” Cali Cole said. “I’ve played with my sister since I was young all the way to high school. I can’t wait to play with her two more years in college. She’s my favorite person, my best friend.”
Stone Ridge Christian recently held a celebration to honor Cali Cole and senior football standout Aiden Skeen, who signed his national letter of intent to place receiver at Northwestern College in Iowa.
Skeen says the signing ceremony was a special moment for him.
“It felt good to had my friends and family there supporting me and taking pictures,” he said. “It’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Cali Cole has been a three-sport standout for the Knights, excelling in volleyball, basketball and softball. She helped lead the SRC girls volleyball team to a section championship this past fall and was the winning pitcher when the Knights won a section title last spring.
“Softball has always been my number one sport,” she said. “Knowing I have four more years to play after high school is exciting.”
Cole is one of the top pitchers in Merced County, compiling a 9-3 record with a 0.90 ERA this spring. The right-hander has struck out 143 batters in 84 innings. Cole is also hitting .574 with four home runs and 32 runs scored.
Cole finished with a 16-3 record and 1.05 ERA as a junior last year with 151 strikeouts in 101 innings pitched.
Cole says having her sister there was definitely a big draw, but not the only reason she chose CSU Pueblo. She also fell in love with the school and the softbal program.
Cole has compiled a 4.25 GPA at Stone Ridge Christian and is undecided on her major, but says she’s leaning toward mathematics.
Skeen will also have a familiar face at Northwestern College to make the transition easier in former SRC teammate Max Friedman, who graduated from Stone Ridge Christian in 2023.
“Coaches are going to tell you all the good stuff,” Skeen said. “(Friedman) told me exactly how it is and that helped make my choice easier.”
Friedman said the football is tough, but he’s enjoying his experience.
Skeen visited the campus in March.
“It’s really a small-college town,” Skeen said. “The buildings on campus are older but they have nice facilities. I got to meet some of the professors I might be working with and I felt the school is a really good environment.”
Skeen played both sides of the ball for the Knights, but heads to Northwestern College as a receiver. He caught 31 passes for 518 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.
Skeen was also impressive in the classroom, finishing with a 3.8 GPA at SRC. He plans to major in mathematics statistics with plans of going into the date analysis field.
Skeens is looking forward to experiencing real winters and everything Iowa has to offer.
“It’s definitely a big jump moving from California to Iowa,” he said. “The weather is going to be a lot colder. I’m looking forward to the new experience.”
