Lakeland CC: Atkinson comes to Illinois State from Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois. She joined the Lake Land College Lakers in the fall of 2021. She was named Copilot (leadership) all three years for the Lakers. In 2021, she led her team to the NJCAA Region 24 Championship game, where she went four-for-four with two doubles and caught the last out of the game to bring her team to the NJCAA National Tournament in Yuma, Arizona. Atkinson was a four-year varsity starter for East Troy HS softball and a captain in her senior year. She played travel softball for the Wisconsin Lightning from 12U-18U.

Personal: She is the daughter of Tammy and Tim Atkinson and has two siblings, Colby and Lilly. Atkinson chose Illinois State because of the atmosphere of the school and the softball program. She is especially excited for Illinois State's agriculture department. She plans to major in Animal Industry Management with the goal of taking over her family's beef and crop farm in Wisconsin.