SCOTLAND — Trinity Bietz stays busy in the springtime. 

A Scotland High School senior, Bietz balances two sports, schoolwork and other activities, while preparing for graduation. 

But she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“It’s definitely a lot to balance school and sports,” Bietz said. “But it’s definitely rewarding when you see how you are performing in all those sports.”

Bietz is again performing well in her spring sports: track and field and softball. She is currently ranked No. 1 in shot put (40-5), No. 3 in discus (129-0) and No. 5 in javelin (119-5) among Class A throwers. In softball, she leads Scotland/Menno in batting average (.481), RBIs (15) and home runs (four). 

She also plays volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter. She’s an all-conference performer in volleyball, basketball and softball. She’s also an all-state softball player. 

While she doesn’t have a favorite sport, the two spring sports are at the top. 

“I like the more personable aspect of track for me because it’s just throwing,” Bietz said. “If I make a mistake, I can’t blame it on anyone else. I have to take responsibility, and then I just have to push harder, but then I also like softball for the team aspect.”

A normal week in the spring consists of games, meets and practices. She’s also president of the student council, active in the church choir youth group and was in the school play. 

In the school play, “Murder on the 518,” a murder mystery play on a late-night train, Bietz played a movie starlet named Isabella Madison. 

The actress duties only added to her busy springtime schedule. 

“It’s definitely very hectic,” said Bietz, who maintains a 3.98 grade point average. “Some weeks, I am only in school for one or two days. It normally results in several late nights doing homework, sometimes weekends doing homework. But in the end, it’s a great time because I get to play the sports that I enjoy. It’s really fun and worth doing all the sports and all these activities during the springtime.”

Scotland/Menno's Trinity Bietz competes in the discus on April 29 in Scotland. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Bietz has some lofty goals as her final high school season is winding down. She’s won the past two Class B shot put titles, but is competing in Class A after the Scotland/Menno co-op moved up this season. 

Bietz has her sights set on winning another shot put championship, which she said would prove that a small school girl can compete with the bigger schools. 

“Some of the seniors I have talked to are graduating from huge high schools,” Bietz said. “I am from a high school with 16 kids in my class. So, definitely some people say we are the little dog. But if I were to three-peat my title in shot put, I would just say it proves that the little dog can compete with all the big dogs.”

In softball, Bietz has been a member of the Trappers since softball became a South Dakota High School Activities Association-sanctioned sport in 2023. Bietz and the Highlanders finished third at state last season. 

“It was definitely exciting to be a part of the inaugural year for our team,” said Bietz, who plays shortstop. “It was definitely a new opportunity. I never played with some of the girls I was playing with that year. So it was definitely a great opportunity. We had a great first season and then we had a great second season, where we made it to state and placed third. So that was definitely a great thing for a new team.”

The Trapper (7-5) are currently No. 10 in the Class B standings, and Bietz said the goal is to make the state tournament again. 

Then her storied athletics career at Scotland will come to a close. Bietz will attend South Dakota State University, majoring in animal science. Bietz will not play any sports at SDSU, but plans on filling the competitive void through other activities.

“I am definitely going to have to participate in some intramurals,” Bietz said. “Because I am a very competitive person, not having competition will kind of kill me. So keeping up with intramurals and club stuff will definitely be something I will be doing in college.”

But she’s left her mark at Scotland High School. 

“Trinity is a true leader,” Scotland/Menno track and field coach Bryan Fuks said. “Her leadership in our school, on our courts and fields is irreplaceable. Just on the track side of her athletic career at SHS, she has done tremendous things. When she leaves the circles or runway for the last time, she will be the most decorated female track athlete from Scotland.”