The offensive statistics alone should give you an idea that Bree Paetow has the tools to be a good college softball player.

Those stats are off the chart.

But there are other numbers and other intangibles that factor into the equation, too. And Paetow passes those tests with flying colors, too.

Bree Paetow

Plus, it’s now a moot point. The Chambersburg junior second baseman recently received an offer from James Madison University to play softball and she has verbally accepted.

“I have always dreamed of playing Division I softball, and I wanted it to be at a place where it felt like family,” Paetow said. “I think I got both at JMU.”

So let’s take a look at those gaudy stats, keeping in mind that Paetow is only midway through her junior season for the Trojans.

And before we get to the offensive numbers, Chambersburg coach Chris Skultety would point out this statistic first — in 180 career chances at second base, Paetow has made only 2 errors.

“No question, she is the best defensive player I’ve ever coached,” Skultety said. “She’s got a lot of flashy stats, but that’s the one I look at first.”

OK, so on to those flashy stats:

— The Trojans’ leadoff batter is currently riding a 20-game hit streak that dates back to April 29, 2024 in a game vs. Cumberland Valley.

— Paetow is batting .583 this season (28-for-48), and sits at .517 for her career (121-for-234).

— She’s had multiple hits in 8 of her team’s 12 games this season.

— In her career, she has scored 96 runs and has stolen 83 bases. In three years, she has been caught stealing only 5 times.

— Her career on-base percentage is .549.

But Paetow affects games in other ways that you don’t see in a scorebook because of her elite speed, baserunning skills and knowledge of the game.

Here’s an example: in Wednesday’s game vs. State College, Paetow hit two balls to the third baseman — one a bunt attempt and one an easy two-hopper. The throw beat her to first base both times. But both times, the throws were off the mark, likely due to the third baseman knowing she had to throw as hard as she could to get Paetow out.

On one of those Little Lion errors, Paetow stole second base, then promptly swiped third against a catcher with a decent arm. That allowed her to trot home when Karley Skultety hit a grounder to shortstop.

Coach Skultety said, “She’s just pure havoc to the other team when she gets on base. Bree’s instincts for the game are just so good, and she’s great with teammates, always being positive and keeping them up. She’s a once-in-a-lifetime player.”

Paetow has had a connection to JMU for a couple of years. She attended a camp there and had some one-on-one sessions with head coach Loren LaPorte. Earlier this month, she took her official overnight visit to Harrisonburg, Va. with her mother, Katy, and the Dukes, who are currently 21-23 and play in the Sun Belt Conference, made her an offer at that time.

“They offered me on Saturday and we came home to talk to my dad and the family,” Bree said. “And I just knew it was the place for me. I really like the culture of the team and the campus is beautiful. It’s a place I know I can go to get better.”

It will be the second college softball player for the Paetow family. Samantha Paetow is the starting catcher at Kutztown University — in her freshman season she is batting .316 with 4 home runs and 32 runs batted in.

With more than a year left in her high school career, Bree Paetow is happy to have the pressure of having to make a college decision gone. She can simply keep playing and keep improving.

“It’s nice to get that off my shoulders,” Bree said. “I won’t have to worry about going to more camps to get recruited.”

Now it’ll just be a matter of helping her team make a postseason run, and piling up more of those flashy stats next spring.