Emily Paulson, a three-time Three Rivers League All-Conference catcher who graduated from Tigard High School in 2020, is anchoring sports on television in Honolulu.

Paulson started as a sports anchor and reporter at KHON2 Hawaii in June, according to a profile by Valley Times reporter Wade Evanson published Tuesday, July 28.

She told Evanson the adrenaline of live television reminds her of stepping into the batter's box in a big moment.

"You kind of get a little antsy in the same way you would in the batter's box," Paulson said.

At Tigard, Paulson earned All-State honors twice as a softball catcher, played basketball for the Tigers, and was named the school's Female Athlete of the Year in her senior year (2019-20).

Those accolades earned her a scholarship to Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, where she played four seasons behind the plate.

Her college numbers were steady.

According to WWU's official roster page, Paulson made 78 starts across 93 games, hit .241 with 24 RBI, and posted a .988 fielding percentage that ranks fourth all-time in program history. She earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic honors three times.

The Vikings' 2024 season was the program's best. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship game in Longwood, Florida, where the Vikings fell to the University of Texas at Tyler 10-1 on Saturday, May 25, 2024. Paulson told the Valley Times she left her cleats on the field after that loss.

She also made history off the college diamond. On Monday, July 18, 2022, Paulson became the first woman to play in a game for the Portland Pickles, appearing as an intern for the West Coast League collegiate wood-bat team, according to the team's Wikipedia page.

After graduating from WWU in 2024, Paulson completed a one-year master's degree in Sports Journalism at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

She then spent seven months at a television station in College Station, Texas, covering sports and general news before KHON2 came calling.

While in Texas, Paulson gave softball lessons to young girls, which she said rekindled her love for the game she'd played since childhood.

Paulson told the Valley Times that Trail Blazers sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam inspired her career path as a girl, and that landing a similar sideline role would bring her back to Oregon.