After more than a half-decade of leading the Trojans, Rigby’s Bishop sisters will now team up in college

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RIGBY — Last spring, as a senior, center fielder Sam Bishop either led or was among the leaders on the Rigby softball team in nearly every offensive category.

Bishop finished her senior season with a .484 batting average, 44 hits and 36 RBIs, helping the Trojans finish with a 16-9 overall record — 7-5 against conference opponents.

Sam’s return to the diamond next spring will be special for multiple reasons. Not only will she be venturing into a whole new level of play, as a collegiate athlete, she will be joined on that journey by her older sisters Alix and Erin — twins, who graduated from Rigby in 2023.

Sam called her sisters her best friends, saying it has always been a dream to share the field with them.

“I’m really excited (to play with Alix and Erin), I think it will be really fun,” she told EastIdahoSports.com. “And they’ll be able to help me figure out what I’m doing my first year (in college), which will be really nice.”

Sam signed her letter of intent to attend and play softball at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Mont., as a junior. At the time of her commitment, Alix and Erin were playing for Wenatchee Valley College in Wenatchee, Wash., and searching for their next landing spot.

All three sisters admitted to encouraging the others to choose Providence, with the goal of being on the same team for the first time in their lives. As Alix explained, she and Erin have been teammates at every stop, but aside from practicing together throughout their lives, Sam had never been a part of any of those stops.

That was the primary reason Alix and Erin chose to sign with Providence.

Alix, a pitcher and infielder, agreed with Sam in calling her sisters her best friends, saying she cannot wait to finally play alongside both.

“I’m really excited to compete with them, at a really high level, and then come home with them at the end of the day and be surrounded by people that I have known and loved my whole life,” she said.

Erin, who, like Sam, is an outfielder and expects to stay in center field, forcing her younger sister to play left field, said it will be even more special, being in the same outfield as her younger sibling

“It’ll be fun to have that experience, to see the field together,” Erin said.

The shorthand communication Erin and Sam have developed growing up together will help with synergy between the two when they are sharing the same outfield. Plus, she added, it will be a little easier to be hard on each other with the understanding that it comes from a place of sisterly love.

“It’s easier to hold each other accountable, to a higher standard, since we’re siblings,” Erin said. “I’m excited to not only be on the same team as her, but to be in the same outfield and work side by side.”

Asked if any of the three was willing to accept the mantle of being the best of the Bishops, none was in any rush to respond. After a lengthy pause, Erin finally explained that the three have different skillsets.

Alix, Erin said, hits with more power, while she and Sam are more contact hitters. As a pitcher as well as an infielder, Erin also adds that aspect to her game, giving each her own claim to being the best of the Bishops.

“We all have unique abilities,” she said. “It’s hard to judge who’s the best, because there are so many different aspects to the game.”

One thing all three were quick to answer was what they most look forward to regarding the upcoming school year and softball season.

Alix, Erin and Sam each offered a similar response — that being around family and the game they live while pursuing higher education is the perfect combination.

Sam specifically broke down how important it will be for her, a freshman, to have her sisters with her.

“Family is a big thing for me, and college is a whole new thing, so having Erin and Alix with me — and they’re my best friends in the entire world … so to be able to go to college with them and keep that friendship with them, is a big part of it all,” she said.