George C. Marshall (GCM) High's star softball catcher Michelle Tilson recently signed on to compete in the Big East when she heads to St. John's University in Queens, N.Y. next fall.

MICHELLE TILSON. (Photo: Courtesy Marshall High School)

Tilson, who was named 1st Team Liberty All-District Catcher in 2009, is a senior Honors student at Marshall whose roots are in the Falls Church community, where she has lived in Pimmit Hills.

Tilson began her career playing baseball for five years with the Falls Church-Kiwanis Little League as a kindergartner. She made the 9-10 All Star Team both years she was eligible.

She transferred to the McLean Little League Softball team at 11, where she continued her success, making the majors (11-12 age bracket) All Star team both years. The McLean team went on to win the Virginia State Championship when Tilson was 11, and rocketed to the championship game of the Little League Softball World Series when she was 12.

Since then, Tilson has continued to play for local teams, on the Vienna Stars as a younger player, and then onto the Gold team.

At Marshall High, Tilson has played every inning of every game since joining the varsity softball team as a freshman. Every year, she has managed to lead her team in home runs, and has received All District Honors each year. This past season,

Tilson earned All Region Honors, in addition to receiving the team's MOP and Scholar Athlete awards.

When Tilson heads to St. John's, she said she plans to take on a dual major in Accounting and Finance.