DeAnn Horswill had no plans to attend college.

The 2007 Kalaheo graduate hadn't touched a bat in four months since the end of her high school softball career and was preparing to find work wherever she could.

The grim reality of the real world was just beginning to sink in when an old friend decided to give her a call.

“;(College) didn't seem like an option for me until Shyenne (Hussey) brought it to my attention,”; Horswill said. “;She told her coach (at Eastern Kentucky) about me and, a week after I heard from coach, I was here.”;

Hussey (Kailua '06) was between her freshman and sophomore years at Eastern Kentucky, and the two shared a friendship from elementary school days when Horswill played for Hussey's dad on a Bobby Sox team.

“;I tried to play the same position as her and she would always push me out of the way,”; Horswill recalled. “;Our families got close, my sister played high school softball against her sister, and we became friends.”;

That friendship escalated to the next level when Horswill joined Hussey at Eastern Kentucky. The two will begin their third year on the same team as the Colonels begin their season tomorrow at the Campus Suites Spartan Classic in Spartanburg, S.C.

Horswill is competing for a starting spot at first base while Hussey, a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, has her sights set on a much bigger goal.

“;My goal is to get player of the year and take this team all the way,”; the starting third baseman said.

The Colonels added transfer pitcher Noelani Esperas (Kamehameha '07) this year, giving the team three girls from the islands.

Hussey started the trend after graduating from Kailua in 2006, and admits to struggling with the transition her freshman season.

“;I think I cried myself to sleep every night,”; she said. “;I'm not going to lie, it was horrible. I wouldn't have made it if (Horswill) didn't come with me.”;

Horswill joined Hussey a year later, but experienced similar problems getting comfortable in a completely new environment.

“;It was pretty scary because I talked with such heavy pidgin,”; Horswill said. “;When Shy and I would talk, people would just stare at us.

“;One time I walked into a Walmart and this guy came up and asked me what I was, just bluntly came up to me like that. It's definitely a culture shock.”;

Horswill has grown accustomed to the people in Kentucky, but one thing that she'll never get used to is the weather. The school campus has seen over six inches of snow this week, and even though it's nothing new for the junior, it's still an annoyance.

“;You never get used to it,”; she said. “;I've probably slipped and fell at least five times this week.”;

The Colonels are picked to finish sixth in the conference this season, but Hussey, who hasn't finished higher than third in the OVC in her career, has much bigger expectations.

“;We have a lot of younger players, but there's no rift on this team,”; she said. “;We all get along and are one big family and I think that's going to go a long way in helping us do well.”;