Lawrence High senior Morgan Byrn gets a hug from coach Joe Dee Tarbutton after signing a letter of intent to play softball at UMKC on Thursday at LHS. Richard Gwin/Journal World Photo

Lawrence High senior Morgan Byrn gets a hug from coach Joe Dee Tarbutton after signing a letter of intent to play softball at UMKC on Thursday at LHS. Richard Gwin/Journal World Photo

With her parents sitting to her left and right, Lawrence High senior Morgan Byrn signed her letter of intent to play softball at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the LHS library on Thursday afternoon.

“I felt fine during most of the day, then 30 minutes ago, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m actually doing this,'” Byrn said afterward. “It was just so exciting for me.”

It wasn’t long ago that Byrn was watching her sister, Lauren, sign to play collegiate softball with Washburn University. Now with teammates, classmates, former summer softball coaches and others in attendance, Byrn heard several people talk about how proud they were of her success before she officially signed her name.

“Morgan is by far one of my most favorite people I’ve ever coached,” LHS assistant softball coach Nicole Riley said. “Not only is she an awesome softball player, she’s a great person to be around, a great leader.”

Byrn earned first-team All-Sunflower League and All-State honors last season, batting a team-high .545 with a league-leading 37 RBIs. She’s led the Lions in RBIs for the past three years.

“She’s a tireless worker,” said Mike Byrn, Morgan’s father. “It’s doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s in the classroom, weights, softball. Whatever it is, she wants to be the best at what she’s doing. She puts in the time and effort. I couldn’t be more proud of her for her school work.”

Byrn, a straight-A student, has been asked to play several positions throughout her high school career, and has accepted every change with a positive attitude to try to help her team. That positive attitude hasn’t been lost on others who are around her.

“You need a role model to look up to? This senior right here is a good one,” Riley said. “I’ve had her in class. She’s an awesome student, she’s a 4.0 student. Just a genuine, great person. I really think UMKC is lucky to have you.”

Byrn said she chose UMKC because she could complete her degree in four years, unlike some other schools, and she loved the small classroom size and coaches. She plans to major in nursing with a minor in Spanish.

“It’s so exciting,” Byrn said. “It kind of makes it real. I’m always like, ‘I’m going to UMKC,’ but it never really feels like you’re actually going, and now it’s here.”