Platte County held an abbreviated winter signing ceremony Wednesday evening to honor five seniors continuing athletic careers at the next level. The group includes a two-time all-state volleyball player, two softball teammates set to play together at the next level, the girls basketball team’s leading scorer and a Division III-bound baseball player.
Platte County senior volleyball player Gia DeRose
Previously, six Platte County football players made their choices official on national signing day with quarterback Rocco Marriott (UCF) and tight ends Brooks Hall (UCF) and Jack Utz (Kansas) all graduating at semester and enrolling early.
A breakdown for each student-athlete from Wednesday’s ceremony is below.
Gia DeRose, volleyball, Graceland
The senior libero moves on to an NAIA program in Lamoni, Iowa, after making the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association all-state team each of the past two seasons — doing so in Class 5 this past fall after earning a spot on the Class 4 list as a junior. The Pirates were moved up after an enrollment bump, giving her a unique distinction in program history as a repeat honoree across classes.
DeRose put up 414 digs as a senior, the fourth-best single-season total in program history after she set a school record with 592 as a junior. She added 131 assists and 24 service aces and a team-best 97.7 serve percentage this past fall.
After seeing limited varsity time as a sophomore, DeRose finishes with 1,017 career digs, unofficially ranking third all-time at Platte County behind only Carli Hensley (1,212; 2016-2018) and Teryn Scott (1,081, 2011-2013). The Pirates finished this past season with an 18-11-2 record after bowing out of Class 5 District 8 play with a first-round loss to Liberty North.
Platte County senior Danica Salisbury
DeRose became the sixth player in Platte County history to earn all-state honors at least twice joining McGhee, Brown, Kendall Johnson and Morgan Johnson with two each, while Karlee Riggs became the first three-time honoree for the Pirates after making the Class 4 list in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Danica Salisbury, St. Louis Community College, Softball
A four-year starter splitting time between first base and pitcher, Salisbury earned Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Class 4 District 8 and All-Suburban Conference White Division honors as a utility play for her senior season. She served as the No. 1 pitcher as a freshman and sophomore and more evenly split time between the circle and first base the past two seasons.
Salisbury finished her career with 36 wins and 220 strikeouts as a pitcher. At the plate, she finished with a .304 average and hit six home runs with her best season coming as a sophomore when she posted a .414 batting average with an on-base percentage above .500 with five extra-base hits and 20 RBIs.
Platte County senior Marlee Snyder-Richardson
All four seasons Salisbury made all-district in a addition to an All-Class 4 Region 4 nod as a freshman.
Marlee Snyder-Richardson, St. Louis Community College, Softball
Earning the starting spot at second base each of the past two seasons, Snyder-Richardson hit .346 as a senior with a .407 on-base percentage. She collected six doubles and two triples, driving in 20 runs and scoring 17 more.
Snyder-Richardson earned honorable mention all-conference honors this season as an infielder.
Salisbury and Snyder-Richardson now continue their careers together after being part of Platte County’s four-player senior class this past season. The Pirates reached the Class 4 District 8 championship game each of the past four years but came up short of the program’s first playoff berth since 2021 each time despite winning 71 games the past four seasons with at least 19 in each of the past three.
Platte County senior Rylee Carr
Rylee Carr, Johnson County (Kansas) Community College, basketball
A starter each of the past two seasons and a third-year contributor, Carr currently leads Platte County at 11.3 points per game to go with averages of 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.7 assists. She put up 20 points in wins against both William Chrisman and Ruskin with her career-high of 32 coming as a sophomore in a district matchup with East (Kansas City) when she tied a school record for most field goals made in one game (16).
Carr is one of just two players on this season’s roster with significant varsity experience.
Platte County currently sits at 5-10 overall, but Carr was a key piece of last year’s 17-win team that returned to the Class 5 District 8 final a season after winning 21 games in 2023-24. She earned all-district and all-conference honors as a junior.
Cameron Buckwalter, Blackburn College, baseball
A right-handed pitcher, Buckwalter plays travel baseball for Ballplayers Club and signed to Division III Blackburn College, located in Carlinville, Illinois. He also coaches youth baseball.
