Senior Katie Basta was voted to be the Pattonville representative at the Scholar-Athlete Night sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Coaches in the high school were asked to nominate and decide upon a single athlete meeting the GPA requirement and earning at least one varsity letter.

Basta is part of three varsity sports (softball, basketball, and track) and is ranked No. 7 in her graduating class and heading to Lawrence, Kansas, to attend KU and major in interior architecture next year.

“Before the game, we met in a room and we were talked to by one of the announcers.”

After that, the athletes from various schools were talked to by Cardinals pitcher Matt Bowman.

“He told us how when he was in high school, he was a Scholar-Athlete too, and how important education is.”

Bowman also encouraged the students to keep up the good work.

Before the game started, Basta was able to walk around the field waving to fans and get the true athlete’s experience.

“I was honored to have been chosen for this,” she said. “It was a really cool experience.”