Meet Eva.

Keyser Campus nursing student Eva Ochoa, who is also a student athlete, led the Potomac State College softball team to become the Region 20 champions.

Ochoa, a second-year nursing student from Bridgewater, Virginia, has played softball since she was 3 years old. She is the youngest of five children, all of whom were athletes growing up.

Her journey to become a nursing student started in high school. Her high school offered a two-year technical school program, which gave the ability to receive a medication aide license and become a CNA. She and her best friend decided to complete the program together. Inspired by her instructors, she decided nursing was the career for her.

Heading into her junior year of high school, Ochoa had decided that she did not want to continue playing softball in college; she wanted to focus her energy on nursing school. She planned to attend a community college in her hometown, but felt something was missing from her plan. Then, she heard about the WVU School of Nursing's Keyser Campus and reached out to coaches to see if there was a spot for her, to see if playing softball at Potomac State was the missing piece.

“This is it… this is where I want to be,” Ochoa said. “I didn’t want to go somewhere huge. I want to be somewhere where I can have personal relationships with my professors and get the help I need, and that’s everything Potomac State was.”

Ochoa ended up signing to play softball and got started in pre-nursing. She appreciated that she could commit to only two years of softball. She could play and then focus on nursing when it started to get serious.

She said her coaches and athletic director, Amanda Larkin, were incredibly supportive and made her feel capable of playing softball and being a nursing student. Larkin and the coaching staff assured her that if she were to fall behind, softball would take a back seat, and she would focus on nursing school. Some days, she would take early morning exams in her uniform and then head to games or miss small group classes for games.

“Learning how to manage time wisely… I would not be able to do it without my coaches, athletic director and teachers,” Ochoa said.

As a team captain last year, she embraced a leadership role both on and off the field. Primarily playing center field, where she led the outfield, she also filled in at left field and even played an unexpected inning at second base when a teammate got injured. Being left-handed in the field but batting right-handed, she was versatile and stood out, especially in situations where she stepped up without hesitation to support the team.

Team chemistry was a major focus for her as a captain. Coming off a younger roster the previous year, this season’s team had a mix of experienced players with strong personalities. She made it a priority to help everyone blend as teammates, organizing bonding activities during trips like Bible studies and group hangouts.

“Even if we didn’t all get along outside of softball, we made sure we could be great teammates on the field,” she said.

One of her most meaningful memories came from a pregame ritual that began during a tough tournament in Myrtle Beach. After noticing their starting pitcher struggling mentally, she pulled her aside for a blunt, supportive pep talk in their hotel bathroom. The “bathroom talk” became a tradition, continuing into this season before every game.

The highlight of the year came during the regional semifinal against the College of Southern Maryland. In a tense, tied game in the bottom of the seventh, catcher Braylee Corbin hit a walk-off home run.

“Off the bat, you just knew it was gone,” Ochoa said.

The win was especially satisfying, not just because it kept their championship hopes alive, but because it came against a team that had beaten them earlier in the season. As the defending champions, they had a target on their backs, but moments like that walk-off proved just how united they truly were.

Representing her team and school on the national stage was a proud moment. After winning their region, the team traveled to Alabama to compete, standing out not just for their talent but for being the only team from West Virginia in the tournament. Competing against larger rosters from all over the country made the experience even more meaningful.

“Even though we didn’t do the best there, just being able to say we made it that far was really cool,” she said.

Balancing her role as a student-athlete with the challenges of nursing school has shaped her as a person. Sports taught her patience, perseverance, and how to function under pressure, skills she now uses in the hospital where she works as a tech.

“There are stressful moments, but I’ve learned to stay calm,” she said.

That mental toughness carried over into exams, clinicals, and long study hours. Support from her coaches, teammates, and professors made a huge difference. This year, she even broke both the single-season and career stolen base records.

Faith has also played a central role in her growth. Through Bible studies and prayer with her team, she found both encouragement and perspective. One small but meaningful tradition was wearing “WWJD” bracelets. It became a daily reminder of her values, not only as a player but as a future nurse.

Looking ahead, she hopes to specialize in labor and delivery or the NICU, drawn to caring for the most vulnerable patients and supporting families during life-changing moments.

“You can really make a difference there,” she said. “That’s always been the goal.”

Her advice to future students is: don’t let stress steal your joy.

“There were so many times I was so worked up that I missed the positives,” Ochoa said.

Learning to shift her mindset from “I have to” to “I get to” made a huge difference. She credits the WVU School of Nursing’s Keyser Campus with its small class sizes and supportive professors, for helping her grow both professionally and personally.

“I couldn’t recommend it more,” she said. “It’s hard, but it’s so worth it.”