July 21, 2025 • 56 mins
Bella Dayton, an outfielder for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Bandits, shares her journey through college softball — from her transfer from Arizona to Texas to the challenges she faced navigating the transfer portal during COVID-19. She reflects on her personal growth, emphasizing the importance of consistency, perseverance, and the support of her community. Bella also opens up about her mental and physical training routines, her favorite plays and memories, and the vital role her teammates and coaches have played in her development.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Dropping Diamonds with Aj Andrews is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to Dropping Diamonds, where we dive headfirst.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Into the world of softball.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Today. I'm joined by somebody that knows what it takes
to make it to the top level. She made a
World Series three times. She is coming out of Texas,
and she is outfitter for the AUSL Bandits.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It is the one and the only bell Edy. Thanks
for joining me, Yes, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well, when I start this podcast, always have to start
it off, you know, start off strong. So I start
off with affirmation or quote to kind of lead us
into things. And so, because I don't know too many
people who have been to the World Series three times,
obviously I want to see a y Okahoma, but a
different conversation for a different day. So we're gonna talk
(01:05):
about some consistency. The quote is consistency is what transforms
average to excellence. So an affirmation I like to bring
from that, probably I am what I repeatedly do.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Excellence then is I'm at but I have it?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Do you like it? I like it. Do you love it?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Bella, yes, because I've never heard it before.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Do you have a quote that you like to live
by or that you you kinda go back to?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Honestly, I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Sometimes I'm like, maybe I could think of one in
the moment, but no, I don't help one.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Okay, do you have a motto? Do you tell your
something me some on the field?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
My dad growing up always said perseverance. I grew up
with four brothers, so there was always things happening, good
or bad, and I think he was always he was
ever that crazy softball dad. He was the more supportive
type and kind of just watched, so like if things
went wrong, it wasn't a yelling match. It was more
of like persevere through you know what you're going through,
(02:05):
Like it's it's not gonna stay the way it is
for long. So that was kind of a motto. I
put it in a glove that I had put together
and I wasn't gonna use it, But here we are,
I'm using it today, so it's cool.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Persevere things don't stay like this for long. Just perseverance experience.
But yeah, can you think of a moment that you
really had to persevere Ooh.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I always go back to the transfer portal. I know
there's so many people in it today, and when I
was in it, I don't think it was, you know,
as big or there wasn't as many people. But I
would say that was probably one of the toughest experiences
that I've been put through. Yeah, transferred from Arizona. Yeah,
why was it so tough?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
But made it so hard?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was midyear. I think that was the last year
that you were able to be midyear unless you were
a senior. I don't know how the rules changed, but
it was just tough having to decide with in short notice,
like I probably decided within a week, and not being
able to travel it was still COVID kind of and
(03:08):
not being able to travel again with that short time span.
So it was more of like zoom meetings and like
three D campus views and stuff like that. And I
was able to go to Texas and visit there just
because it was so close to home, so that was
a plus. But other than that, trying to figure out
I feel like there was a lot of things that
(03:30):
I was looking at young that I wasn't looking at
the right things, and so again in that short amount
of time trying to pinpoint all the right things that
I was looking for in the portal. I think that
was the hardest thing, and hoping that you know, it
would be successful me and what were the things that
you were looking for?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Just better education?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Obviously it was at a point where you didn't know
if softball was going to be where it is today,
which is a great opportunity, So you have to look
at the educational aspects, know that, like you still need
to find something you're passionate about in you know, the
job field, and know that you know you still have
to go that route. So that was like top one.
When I was first looking at schools, that wasn't something
(04:13):
I was looking at. I was looking at like the
atmosphere and a softball world and education was education to me,
Like it wasn't, you know, something top of the line important.
But when I was in the portal, that was like
one thing that I was really looking at. And then
closer to home, I was I'm very family oriented, so
being at Arizona that was like fourteen hours for me,
(04:34):
so like ur in the poor Yeah, driving that drive
was was something. So in the portal, getting all the
calls from like further away schools. I was just like,
that's an automatic note. Even though it may have sounded
nice in the moment, it was just like a note
for me, like stay on track of like what you
really want. So again, I was lucky to have the
close schools that I that I had to visit.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
And that's the reason why you wanted to transfer in
the first Like I just really you weren't getting what
you felt like you needed. Not even that.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I think it was just atmosphere. Like you you go
there on your visit, and your visit it's like what right.
You see the two days and you're like this, I
would love this, and then you live there for a
year and it's like there's things that are lacking. Obviously,
it's very hard for freshmen in general, you know, to
be away from home because you what, you live there
eighteen years of your life and you're around your family
(05:25):
and then you're all by yourself. So I had to
kind of take away that aspect and understand, like is
this atmosphere right for me? It's just somewhere I would
see myself living for four years and it just wasn't that.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And also I.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Felt like my ability to play the game would be
shown off a little better somewhere else, And so I
based it off of like how I could promote my
game a lot better personally. And then yeah, again Atmospheres
was just not for me.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I'm talking to this guy either, because you know, there's
so much which conversation about the Transfer portal and everybody
has an opinion on it, and having a conversation with
Skyler her transferred from Alabama, it's the Florida anything like
the best decision ever and her really being able to
step in her own become the player that she wanted
to be. I didn't transfer, but I was always pro
(06:18):
transfer portal because I had teammates and I had friends
that fell out of love with the game at a
certain place, and I was like, listen, I just want
to follow love this off all again. And when you
think of to people that have all these different opinions,
what do you say to that, because in me, I'm like, listen,
let people go where they're going to thrive.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, I think I mean today the opinions could be
better because now you could say, oh, it's based off
of money, it's based off of you know, these contracts
that again, like people are being able to get paid today,
you know, based off of like maybe how good they
are or just like what they can represent a brand
as But I think when it comes down to, like again,
(07:00):
the atmosphere in wanting to love the game and stuff
like that. I mean a lot of people with the
opinions are people that I find I've never been involved
in the sport, have never played the game of softball.
Maybe they played other sports, and maybe the transfer portal
wasn't you know, a thing, or maybe they didn't feel,
(07:21):
you know, that they didn't belong in that position to
have to transfer. But I think it definitely makes a
big difference to know your worth where you belong and
how much better it makes you as an athlete and
just as a person. Like I could tell you I
was two different people when I was at Arizona and
(07:41):
then when I went to Texas. So like, I don't
give into the opinions of others in what they think
when it comes to.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
There's a lot of people that they're like, you were
at a different school before Texas.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Like ex YAC Exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Honestly, I didn't even know Skyler. I just came to
the realization that she was at Alabama before Florida like
the other day.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
So it's like quite a few people and like they
transfer and have immense success. And yeah, you just don't
realize body at school when you say you were two
different people.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
How So, when I was young, so I was still
trying to figure out my life and kind of the
person that I was becoming. I don't think that I
was very social. I'm just a person that sits back
listens to the people around me. But I don't feel
like I was able to make my personality known, and
I felt like, you know, the growing path maybe for
(08:43):
the team at the time was I mean, they won
Arizona one in the past, and Andrea was such an
amazing coach and I actually had the privilege to be
with him with the Italian team last season, so I've
always loved him and his philosophy and stuff like that.
But I think when it comes down to relations and
ships in the game, it wasn't what I thought it
was going to be, and so I felt more to myself.
(09:06):
I had amazing roommates and they made my personality come out,
but I think with everybody else, I was just closed
off into myself and didn't really put myself out there.
So when I transferred, I think that was one thing
that I told myself was like, be a part of
where you are and where your feet are and be
yourself because what's not to love about being who you are?
(09:30):
And so I think that also made me the athlete
that I was at Texas and kind of put me
away at Arizona. It was just me personally not doing
the things that I loved or putting myself out there.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So you feel like in Texas you really stepped into
your own and made the decision that I'm gonna be
Bella no matter what it is.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Was that like a hard thing to step into or
did it become easier once you left?
Speaker 3 (09:54):
It became easier because I started talking to more people
and meeting so many different personality. I mean, when you
go to Austin, if you have never been to Austin,
there's so many things to do, There's so many different people.
You could probably find any person like you can find
your crowd, yeah, And there's just so many things to do.
So you find maybe more hobbies that you love. And
(10:14):
I think that you know as much as you do
play softball every day and your schedule becomes same thing
different day. I was able to be with people who
maybe had the same hobbies, but we would take full
advantage of our off days.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
We'd be together.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Obviously, you're worth your softball team every day all day,
So like being able to grasp onto those hobbies outside
of the field, I think made the environment so much better.
Whenever you're with a softball oriented team that's just softball, softball, softball,
you feel like you're almost trapped in this softball bubble
and like taking a breath outside of it is almost like,
(10:49):
I guess illegal, like you're kind of like, is this wrong?
So at Texas, I feel like it was more relaxed
in that sense to where like you're at the field,
it's serious, like that's business. You put in your extra
work personally, and then when you have that off time,
do the things that you love with the people that
you love. And I think that my teammates open that
(11:10):
up for me, and they also did those things, so
it was.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Like easier to do. How great you think that is
just for like the mental aspect of the game, being
able to step out of softball from time to time
to really have an identity outside of just being able
to play ball. Yeah, I think it's I think it's
very important. I was.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I think at Arizona, I was more of like the
I shiruk out once and it was like the end
of the world, and I was like, am I going
to play again? Like was that the deciding factor of
whether I played the next game? Or when it happened,
I was like, I have two more at bats, but
I still feel hooked on that one strikeout, and so
I don't feel like ever got up out of that
(11:50):
headspace there, so being able to you know, step away
from the game and hook onto those hobbies and stuff
like that, I think, or even religiously, I found myself too,
like devoting myself to things, but also like letting things
go and letting them be the way they are. I
think that makes you mentally stronger, and again finding those
(12:13):
teammates that do have the same beliefs in same you know,
headspace as you it's easier to speak it. I also
journaled a lot when I went to Texas, so as
weird as it sounds, I like talk to myself, but
in a journal, so like whether it was good or
bad that day, I wrote it down, and like when
I woke up the next morning. It was like a
(12:34):
new slate, so like whatever I wrote down was released,
it was let go. So it was like, you don't
get to think about it anymore. Like you talk to yourself,
you told yourself what you need to do, what needs
to be better, or hey, what was great that day
that you want to consistently keep doing. And so the
next morning it was a sense of relief to know that, hey,
I let those things go, or hey, I'm holding on
(12:56):
to the right things. So I normally tell a lot
of my younger clients like hitting wise, they also come
to me for a lot of mental stuff, and that's
the one thing that I tell them. I'm like, start
writing or journaling, like it's not a diary, nobody has
to read it but you, but like it's a great thing.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
It's a great aspect. Journaling is so powerful in so
many different ways, whether it is releasing emotion or releasing
thoughts to even like developing creativity. I journal a lot
just for different ideas. Was there ever a moment when
you were journaling that it took you more than just
one day to release?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Honestly, no, I don't. I don't think so. I mean,
if I had a journal like five pages, okay, sure,
a longer longer. I think it would just be like
you have the time. If you don't have the time,
make the time to journal. Don't make an excuse as
to like, oh, I need to go to bed at
nine point thirty.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
It's nine twenty five.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Like you can journal within those five minutes, even if
it is half the time. But like, I mean, I
always sat there. I don't think there was ever a
moment where I wrote down and I didn't feel like
I finished the next day. Like I always made sure
that out. Yeah, all my thoughts were written down.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
For someone that's just starting, how do you you start
that sentence?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Right?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
If you're in journaling for the first time, it feels uncomfortable.
It feels different if I'm beginning to write it out.
How do you start like, oh, hey, bala, today's tuck,
Like how do you wait? Yeah, Like on my hard days,
I'm like, did that really happen?
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Or like, just like situations that I didn't like, It's
like you didn't like that situation, but you could have
gone about it this way, or you could have thought
this way to make yourself feel better in the moment.
I know that there are times where you react out
of feelings and you don't take a minute to just
think about what the situation is. So I think in
those bad times, it's more of like situation based. What
(15:00):
I'm writing is literally exactly how I feel.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Like when you end it, to know that you've gotten
everything out? Is it a feeling to know okay, well
that's it, Like I feel better?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
You know?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
How do you know when to stop? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I think that once I get all my thoughts out,
it's more of like again, like I get all my
bad thoughts out, I end it in a way of
like how could you be better? Or how could this
situation have gone a different way? Or like give your
one hundred percent If you're one hundred percent is seventy
five percent that day? Like you can tell people that
(15:34):
not everybody's gonna have the same one hundred percent, maybe
writing that down as like today wasn't fully one hundred percent,
it was sixty percent, So how can you find that
forty percent tomorrow to make it one hundred percent? And
then affirmations. I think a lot of people they love affirmations,
but maybe they don't think about them strongly enough or
(15:56):
like they don't do them consistently. But I think that
also being positive at the end of like your bad
journaling is what gives you that sense of relief the
next day is you know, what are you capable of? Like?
Who are you as a person and an athlete?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
So that's how I know. That's pretty much the end
of my journal. That's awesome. Yeah, you finish it like
you say all the negative things you want to say,
but then you finish it with but this is helping
to be better. You finish it with the positives, so
you don't know. I feel like that makes sense now
to be able to go to the next day positively
because you now set your intention on that. But I
(16:32):
love you dropped first diamond, first diamond alert, diamond alert.
You talk about you don't know, quotes or affirmations, you're
good about it. She's sneaky, okay, talking about you're one
hundred percent. If you today, if all you have was
sixty percent and you gave sixty percent, you gave one
hundred percent. I love that going out every day with
what you got in your tank and giving that in
(16:52):
your tank. Let's take a quick break to hear a
word from our sponsor well, choosing between the schools you
Joe's Texas get closer to home. Everything's bigger in Texas.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Is it true?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
What everything?
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Is it true? I you're born, It's how you're supposed
to adamately like, yes, absolutely, I don't know. Okay, I
feel like everyone I've ever met from Texas like, no,
Texas is the best place on our It is great.
I mean there's I do like the barbecue. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Yeah, Austin has a good place. But I think every
city that you go to has a different vibe. Okay,
so like Houston has its own personality, does too, but
like Dallas has no it's its own area compared to
Austin and Houston.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You can't can't compare. What's the best city? That's a
good question.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
I've honestly never been able to be out and about
in Dallas as much as I feel like i'd want to.
There's very artistic districts and a lot of things that
you can go do.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Austin has.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Just because I've been able to be out there more
and see the city in college, I do love Austin.
Sometimes the people creamy up.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Uh you know, Okay, that wasn't where I thought I
was going. I thought we were ending with just like
and sometimes the people. But I love my hometown and
being close to Dallas. It's great. I love it. Texas
is one of the states where softball is gay. You have,
I feel like Texas, Florida, California, Georgia, Arizona. But I
(18:44):
think Big Three is definitely pop of Texas, Florida and California.
Being the triple threat that you are, the dynamic player
that you are, were you always able to do all three?
Barrence s lab hit?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
When did you really develop those tools?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Yeah, I'm trying to think of slapping. I was always
a hitter.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Slapping did come at a younger age developing it. I
played for a guy named Jason Gwynn. He now is
a college coach, but like his development factor in him
just as a coach, he always wanted to see people
succeed as a player and as a person. Like he
was just one of those coaches that you wish you
could play for for the rest of your life. So
(19:26):
just being able to play under him in his development,
I think that helped me a lot in my slapping era.
But I mean I grew up in Texas and then
I started to play for a California team because I
felt like recruiting at that time was it was better
out there. The teams were better, the competition was and
I also had a cousin that played out there, so
basically in the summers, I'd go stay with her and
(19:46):
play on her team. And again at that time, you
could commit in like the seventh grade. Yeah, so it
was also like a priority to be recruited.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I then was only a slapper, and then at Arizona
of like a mix of both. I think I slapped
a lot just because we had Caitlin Low as a slapping.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Coach who was like yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
And then when I transferred to Texas, I went strictly hitting.
So over time it was like, yes, I did all three,
I think situationally, but when I transferred to Texas, it
was only hitting because I think mentally like doing all
three was kind of chaotic for me and choosing things
and you know, a short time span, so it was
(20:31):
only hitting. Then it was like, Okay, maybe if hitting's
not working, try or slap, And then it was like, Okay,
now I can be able to look at the situation
and know exactly what I need to do. I think
it's more of a development thing and being comfortable and
doing all three. But yeah, I kind of always went
back and forth from hitting and slapping, but the button
(20:54):
was always there, right if nothing works, if you was
hon learn how to butt, how quick get that button down?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
What do you like to do the most? I do
like to bunt? Yeah, I do like to bunt. People
are like, do you hit home runs? I'm like, no,
but but you have power. I do. It's sneaky.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
I do like how my swing has developed over time,
being able to be under Steve Singleton and just seeing
how his mind works. As someone who was always in baseball,
I grew up around the game of baseball, so it
kind of came easier to me. But like, I mean,
my swing could have changed like five times over the
span of my career. But where it is today, I mean,
(21:38):
it's amazing to see the development that it has, but
also being comfortable with it. Right now, I'm slapping a lot,
but I still have the hitting aspect in the back pocket.
So even with the coaches, you know, with the bandits
like hearing their philosophies and how they think and just
the different coaching styles they have is also really cool
to see when you've been under the same coaching stuff
(22:01):
for what three four years in college, So it's cool.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
What would you say? It's probably the news perspective you've
learned from playing.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
AUSL, like hitting wise general. Yeah, I think one of
our coaches, Courtney, she talked about how your body style is,
and I'm trying to think of terrestrial and aerial. I
think a couple colleges use it, but I'm not really sure.
I've never heard it before. So she talked about just
(22:30):
like are you someone who is quick or someone who
is like, you know, uses gravity a lot, like are
you in your toes?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Are you in your heels?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
And stuff like that, And so I think just like
how I was swinging was not the swing type for
my body, and like understanding that, and like how she
explained it was just like mind blowing to me, Like
if I switched my swing a little bit to like
what my body would technically be used as because I'm
(23:01):
fast and twitchy.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
And like fast witch muscles and.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
So I feel like I push out of my my
body more and out of my legs, and so like
being set up the way I was wouldn't technically make
sense for my body style and so like being able
to switch that and see what would actually make more sense.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
It works, and it worked. It was changing, I can
say it was too.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
And I think it's just crazy, like you don't hear
that like your whole softball career, and then I've.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Never had in my life. Yeah, yeah, some people who
use it, some people don't. When you first said, I
thought like extraterrestrial, So I was.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Like, no, Ariel so aerieal and terrestrial Okay. When I
looked it up, I read a lot on pictures like
maybe baseball pictures use that for their mechanics and kind
of like how.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
They load and did they load.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Into the ground and and stuff like that. But there's
also a hitting aspect that I did know about. So
it was cool to hear her philosophy and kind of
how she teaches that and how.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
It makes sense and it does. And so because you're quick,
are you more aerial?
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I think I am Ariel Okay, Terrestrial is more grounded,
like your weight is driven into the ground, like you're
just gravity just like you're there, You're it's not me.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, you're moving, You're on the go.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
That also might be a slapping aspect.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
To no, but yeah you're saying, Okay, I want to
look more into that Ariel terrestrial not to be mistaken
for extraterrestrial, but maybe because you are or like you
do not like I was, like, you know what, I'm
start to telling you guys, I'm terrestrial a little extra
because I'm out of this world. I thought she had
(24:49):
a really good pickup one. No, I mean in the
baseball softball community. Yeah, these it was one of us.
But hey, right, well go ahead to the Texas being
a triple threat, not only up at the plate but
at the World Series. It's very hard to do. Going
to the World Series once is very hard. Going thrice
three times is even more hard. When we talked about perseverance,
(25:14):
it takes a lot of perseverance to get to a Supervision,
get to a World Series. But then twenty twenty two
d be the Championship Series. What would you say as
someone gets done three times it takes to make to
the World Series.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
I think it's like one team and one goal, Like
it really sucks and you can see like the dynamic
shift when there's literally one person not bought into the goal,
and so like always making sure that everybody is on
the same page. Like even when we went to twenty
twenty two, like Champs Series, it was always like hard
(25:53):
I think on the like outside to be as one
like outside of the field, but we knew that when
we showed up to the field every day, like we
knew what we were there for.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
We knew what the goal.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Was, and I think that we always reminded each other
of it even when things weren't going the way they should,
maybe within each other. And I think that again we
showed up and we knew the goal. So like whether
you had, you know, a problem with somebody else, like
at the end of the day, you were going to
support that person no matter what on the field. And
I think that, you know, if it were the other
(26:23):
way around that maybe we wouldn't made it as far
as we did. But again, one team, one goal. Even
in twenty twenty four when we went to the Yeah, sure,
when we went to the Champ Series, it was the
same thing, Like we came up with a motto and
there was bullet points. It was win from within, and
(26:45):
it was like bullet points to make sure that you're
connecting with the people around you, even if you don't
hang out with them outside the field, it was like
compliment somebody or ask somebody how they're doing, because like,
you don't know what people go through, you know, every
day personally, and it's just like you don't want to
show up and feel that energy that someone doesn't belong
or someone you know is going through something that you
(27:06):
don't know about. But to at least remind them that
you're there for them, I think changes their aspect and
their attitude throughout.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
The day and maybe to know that, hey.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
It's comfortable for them to speak out on you know,
what they are going through, whether it is athletically or personally.
And academics at Texas are so hard, Like you hear
your teammates going through maybe the hardest majors on campus,
and it's like they are studying all hours of the
night and they have to wake up and play a
game the next day. So it's just like knowing that
(27:36):
you have all these resources, including your teammates, I think
was one of the biggest things that we tied into.
But also trying to play freely. Obviously it gets, you know,
more crazy as time goes on. Like Super Regionals last
year against Texas A and M was probably the hardest
series I've ever played in my life. The year emotions
(27:58):
were crazy. I just it just goes back to like
that matchup should have been somewhere else other than Super
Regionals in my opinion, because of the competition that it was,
but the fight that we had just showed how capable
we were of getting as far as we did, and
again reminding each other, like even in those times that
(28:19):
maybe a pictuer didn't succeed or you didn't succeed in
a situation like you had your players or your teammates
had your back. But again, if there was relationships or
the at least one person wasn't bought in, then again
it could have been a whole different type of situation.
And that goes for the coaching staff too, like they
were always bought into what we wanted to do and
(28:40):
like what our goals were, and they always made, you know,
the sacrifice or the intention to be in that same
goal with us and trying to make maybe situations or
team bonding or something related to such so that we
could always be reminded like, hey, this is our goal
and were bought in one.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
So it was a nice feeling to have that too.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Did the goals change like each new level you hit
or was always just one goal. I think the goal
always is to go to the World Series for everybody.
It's just like that can't be the one.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Goal like in the moment, like regionals, you can't like
term goals exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
You can't have that in preseason when you're just starting.
So I think that those little goals like maybe a
sweep or you know, we go to preseason game like
you have a top twenty matchup or top ten, it's
like those matter so much, and scoring runs matters so much,
like with RPI and all those different types of rankings.
You never know what's going to happen when you know
(29:43):
postseason comes and you're getting matched up with regionals and
super regionals at this point, you.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
You know that I don't know, Yeah, we do not know,
And so I think I think it was like I
feel like you hear.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I think it was winning within ourselves, like this is
our game, so we're gonna win each game individually, and
if we take the series, then we took the series.
But we can't think of the World Series when you're
you're in game one. So like once we got closer,
like it got more, you know, exciting to know, like, hey,
you're still so very capable and you're so close. Like yes,
(30:21):
that's the end goal, but let's focus on right now
and like where we are and what we have to
do as our job to get it done.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Is there anything like Mike whdever said to you guys
that kind of put a fire under you?
Speaker 3 (30:34):
No?
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Okay, no that I love talking to you. Can they
quote no anything? It's now.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
One thing that always cracked me up is he always
tried to throw BP to us and strike his out
and I as mad as I was. His ball moved
so much and it still cracks me up to this day,
Like I mean that was literally his goal, Like he
was so excited to strike strike you out. And I'm like, okay,
(31:10):
I accept didn't get you a lot potentially, Okay, we
don't have to talk about we're talking about like.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
The guy said, pitch. I mean at l SU, it's crazy.
Coachina would always have like the male softball players that pitch.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Yes, she u was, and it was just it was
just different, like even when I played in Mexico or
VP thrower, he was a male softball fast pitch whatever,
and I was like, yeah, I'm not really sure where
it's going.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, hey, but thank you much. I han't touch it.
Thank you for today. I got better today. I always left.
Oh my god, what the day was that I could
have just sat my tea? I was terrible. Yeah now
I know. Yeah for future and then they swing. Now, okay,
(31:59):
I got it.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
There's more to cover, but first, let's take a quick break.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
You have three brothers, four four brothers or are you
in the I'm four of five? Okay, so you just
have one younger brother one younger yes, oh, and then
you played every sport known to man growing up. I
tried yeah, yeah, lacrosse, basketball, track, volleyball, I'm a see one, soccer, soccer.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
How did you land on softball? I grew up playing
soccer and softball. I did try to play both, like
travel ball, and it was just hard to do. I
think it got to a point where I had to
choose one. But I had a lot of uncles like
growing up that played baseball and played in the league.
In one of them, he actually was a college coach
(32:57):
out in California, and so like every year we made
the road trip to California to go to his baseball camp.
So I think that my oldest brother, he played baseball,
so I always sat his travel ball tournaments when I could.
And I mean all my brothers tried to play you know,
Little League at least once, and so watching them, I
(33:18):
think being able to watch my oldest brother play that
was kind of like an easy decision. We were always
at the ballpark anyway, So like why not? Soccer was
just you know, a fun sport to play, but running
seven miles a game, it's just not Now.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
I played. I tried everything, but if it was like
the two of them that stuck out the longest, and
probably what happened with soft Why softball? I honestly don't
remember the day that, like I had stopped playing soccer,
I just don't either play.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, it's just hard I didn't take I don't remember
because I love both. But I think it's because softball
was so year round.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Yeah that like I just never had an opportunity to
stop or kept going. Yeah, I that makes more sense,
Like it never it never did. Actually, yeah, we just
kept I mean we like Chris's break and yeah, I
liked two weeks in between August and yeah, and then
we're back on it.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Yeah, Like I think I just didn't have a choice.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
I'm black.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
It all worked out how it was to work out.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
I'm always curious, like the things at differing universities, what
was like the big or like your favorite yeer? What
was our favorite year? Didn't have something?
Speaker 3 (34:30):
It was always different, Like in twenty twenty two, I
literally remember it at Washington. In our regional, they started saying,
ain't no party like a Texas party. And I think
that regional was also very chaotic, because one, how was
that a regional.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Texas to Washington, that's not very regional.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
But when we traveled there, we had one and then
we lost, so we had to play the third game,
and so like, there was just so many different things
happening in all three games against Washington, and so like
we always had the people that came up with the
best cheers.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
It was not me, but I did. I thought it
was not me.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
I thought it was yeah, no, I but they were
just so good in the moment of like coming up
with the most random things that made sense. But that
one just stuck in my head because it was such
a crazy energetic regional for us.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
So like, ain't no party like a Texas party? Because
of Texas party. Don't see that was better, But we
didn't say that. Okay, that was good, that was that
was good.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Though. What you guys say that was it ain't no
party like a Texas party. And then you would cheer
and say oh, and it would just keep gradually getting
louder and okay, Well.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
What makes like a Texas party different from like Aluisian party?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Well, honestly, I've never seen the Louisiana party. And then
playing against LSU, I never really saw the energy. Actually,
I think I played against them once, so really I can't.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
There's no way to see energy. Really, No, I swear
what man, how many times did I play against?
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Maybe I had to be once. It was at LSU.
I'll never forget. No, No, we did play a series.
We did sweep y'all. Okay, so there really was an
energy for real, I wasn't there besides the guy, you know,
the guy that stands in the stands and he has
the belt, yeah, and a lot of other things. Yeah,
that is like the one thing I'll never forget.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Well LSU.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Why because he's always there. Yeah, he's always there, very
very energetic. Yeah, and when he's right behind home plate
at LSU, it's like, well, the stands are like the
same level as the old field, so he's like right
there like where the umpire is.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
Yeah, does every get distracted?
Speaker 3 (36:52):
No, the stands don't normally distract me. It's like I'm
in the dugout. I'm just watching him.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Like how does but a time? I'm like, how does
he have all this time to be here? You should
make that a job for him? What would you say
is your favorite memory? But they could be pro ball
and collegiate or collegiate memory other than you know, holy
l is you Bobby, I'm trying to think. I think.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
No, I've been able to spend my birthday at the
World Series three times because it's my birthday's tune. First,
I love a Gemini queen. Yes, I am a Gemini,
and so every time it's like I'm always there with
the people that I spend every day with, So I.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Have never hated it.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
It's always been the best time. So like I was
always grateful, So like my first year, not actually was
here for my birthday.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
Just kidding, Geminis we spent member they June seven. We're
always at a stop off film. Always say not one birthday,
not in a soop off field since I was twelve. Maybe, yeah,
I could say the same thing. Yeah, being born in Jerne,
gotta love it.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
You want to say the Texas A and M Series,
I would yeah. Emotionally, I don't think that was my favorite.
It was my last season, so I mean the emotion
it was like when they came back, I was like,
oh my god. And then when we came back, I
was like, yeah, this is nice roller coaster. So I
wouldn't say that was my favorite part. Emotionally, I would
(38:37):
just say when we beat Arkansas too. When we beat
Arkansas and they didn't have our hats to go to
the World Series, we didn't get hats or a ticket
to the World Series because I don't think they were convinced.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
We were gonna win. Oh wow, so we got them
later on. Yeah, and that's your favorite, Yeah, the winning part?
Speaker 3 (39:00):
Yeah, winning party my picture. Haley Olcini, she transferred from
Fresno State whenever I transferred from Arizona. We were both midyear,
and literally her goal was like I want to make
it to the World Series, no matter how much it takes,
Like we are going, and I think having her mindset
and her on the mount she literally threw until her
(39:21):
arm fell off. And I think like being able to
watch someone so passionate and willing and able is someone
that you always want to play behind, and so like
seeing how happy she was to make it as far
as we did. I think that's just a thought that
you can never unsee. Yeah, some of my favorite memories.
Who ask, it's always it's like, never about myself. Yeah,
(39:41):
always like my teammates.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
Yeah, it's like, well that one time Bianca bell at
one time Savanna j Quish.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
Yeah, but your for your Honestly, that's all I got
for you. I didn't have a panic attack my senior year.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
I thought we were losing. That was fun. And I
think those were like you feel like you're gonna die
by the way. Yeah, if you haven't have.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Them for just one okay, yeah I wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
Yeah, you don't wish them there any rehead of time.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
Yeah, don't recommend, do not recommend? Would?
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I know when you talk about going all in using
your body, it takes at a training for that. I
know you train a lot even off season, like when
you're not even working towards softball. What is your training
recommend or how do you like to prepare for season.
Is there something you specifically do? No, say it, just
say it. Sorry to all your young listeners. You just said,
(40:39):
do you create your own workouts? Then no?
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Actually I love the workouts that my college coach had prepared. Okay,
so I kind of went back to her. I have
been all over with just I went and played in Mexico,
so I just wanted to see life pitching, so I
went out there. That's just so hard to find. I
feel like, so like any opportunity you can to go
somewhere and can continue to play, I feel like that's
(41:01):
the best type of training, is always staying in the game.
Like you could take as many reps as you can,
but like seeing the ball off the bat in game
and like that type of feeling I feel like you
can only find in game. So being able to do
that was very nice. Other than that, it's just like
obviously throwing, like if you take time off of that,
(41:22):
you're gonna feel it. And then working on just little
things within hitting and keeping that consistent. I feel like
the longer you play, the more your body just knows
how to play the game. So like again, just making
it consistent, making it always feel good and then workouts twice.
I just went back to my trainer in college and
had her create some workout plans for me. I was
(41:44):
also training for the fire department at one point, so
it's definitely a different type of training like that. And
then now I'm training for a fitness competition, so you
know there's I love fitness and health and stuff like that.
So whatever my body can do to be the best
and how far I can take it, like, I'm gonna
(42:05):
I'm gonna do that. So when's your competition. I'm trying
to be in a high rocks competition at the end
of the year, so probably I think it's in December.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
I'm not a distance runner. He has.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
I picked softball, so get into it, man.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
I imagine that's a I actually don't want to imagine
what that's like. Thanks for stacking us from first to
second base. We'll be robbing third after the break. I
love how in college sometimes we would dread going to
those workouts, and then now it's like, hey, can you
(42:45):
make it for me?
Speaker 3 (42:45):
Yeah? Same thing you literally learn. As soon as I
was done with college and I went to Europe, I
walked everywhere and so like I was able to go
to the gym like on and off.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Like once you.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
Don't actually commit to working out every day the way
you did in college, you soon realize how your body
just does not.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
Look like that anymore.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Yeah, So like you then learn to prioritize it and
make time at least like thirty minutes to an hour,
or you start learning like what you enjoy. Like there's
people that love yoga and plates have never done plots.
It's like people love it, so I might try. I've
wanted to try it once, but I don't know that
(43:32):
I would continue.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
It's really good for like I've had surgery on my labor,
my hip, and so it's like it's one of those
things to really rebuild all that. Yeah, those those ladies
implies are strong. I know I'm reen when it's my
first one and I'm like, I'm going and I present
more physically fit than everybody in there. Right, And then
(43:53):
there's this at least seventy year old woman kicking my
she hasn't stopped.
Speaker 3 (43:57):
I've taken my seventh break, Like it says that's Ploty's That's.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
What I'm saying. I don't want to get.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
That's how I'm like with all these different workouts besides
the ones I did in college. I'm like, you understand
that you were literally built for the one sport, and
like all your workouts is towards that, and like doing
all these different things, you're like, yeah, I'm physically fit,
but like not for that.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Not really. I remember because after I tore my lab
and they're like, yeah, I know your glutes are weak,
I was like, have you seen my butt? No they're not,
and like, no, Aja, it's not. Your maximis is not
the same as all those other little things, all the
other little muscles.
Speaker 3 (44:37):
So I learned very quickly.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Yeah we were training for strictly power, but as far
as like longevy goes fonder and yeah, yeah, it's not it.
I'm sarrying to learn that right now. I'm proud to
say that at least I think, you know, my maximus
am i medius and all the other idioses are strong.
I hope I've tried. I really tried, Bella. When do
(45:03):
you think about softball, your impact and what you've been
able to do on the field. It all started with
have a ball, your four brothers. You talk about your dad,
he's been super chill. My dad's also really chill. But
we always have like a you know, we always have
a car ride, the car ride home. You can you
think of one car ride home that really takes out
(45:25):
from a softball tournament or a softball game.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
No, no, no, I mean my mom traveled with me
a lot to like my game. So like if you
think about the crazy dads, she was the mom version.
So it'd be like, you get in the car, She's like,
what the hell was up?
Speaker 2 (45:45):
It's like quiet the walk, what did you mean to
look that bath? Because you actually had your done on purpose?
You all have the way you look. It was like
as soon as you get in the cars, like, so
what did you think you did wrong? It's like it's
not the time for the Can I have an intermission? Please? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (46:00):
It was never anything like over the top, but I
think like those questions just like immediately just triggered.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Yeah too much. So now as the adult, yeah, come
as much.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
No, No, I mean she would probably still ask the
question today of like so like you yeah, you look
like shit. I'm like, thank you, mom? Yeah, right, said
I didn't already know. She's like, what were you swinging at?
I'm like, did you want to? Did you want to
try to. I love the fan that does that. Was like, right,
thank you, Brian, I meant to swing at that pitch
(46:34):
over my head. That's actually was my plan. Stepping up
to way is so funny at Arizona because a lot
of the fans were older, like yeah, just like elderly couples,
and they would sit right behind home plate and do.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
That exact thing.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Yes, like what are you swinging at? Or why aren't
you swinging at it? And it's just like right in
your ear. I'm like, you know, you thought you'd be
a little nicer to.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
Your own team.
Speaker 3 (46:59):
Yeah no, yeah, that's that's so true.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Some people like hate it playing home because it could
be Yeah, it could be rough playing for a Texas.
Speaker 3 (47:07):
It was never like that. But of course when you
go to the comment section.
Speaker 2 (47:11):
Yeah you just can't. I mean, I'm outdating myself. But
like social media wasn't like a lot bigger was saying
when I was worry again, it makes it sound so old.
It was. It was a thing. It just was you
were getting paid for it. I'll just be there. Yeah, yeah,
it really wasn't either. We were going to go into
my favorite segment and as a fellow AUTI I hope
it's Rus two the no fly zone segment or return
(47:34):
the outfield there's no fly zone. Being an Audi and
being an amazing Audi that you are. You just made
a diving catch right before we guys ended the first
half of the season.
Speaker 3 (47:49):
What is your favorite play you've ever made. I'm trying
to think I've made a lot, just like in foul Territory.
I think like just those in general have been my favorite.
I haven't really gotten the opportunity to make any on
a fence because Texas fence is like twenty feet tall. Yeah, no,
(48:09):
I would just say anything in foul Territory. I made
one where actually slid into the wall, but it wasn't
like a big game or anything like that, so it
was kind of just like.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
Cassual I guess, but I've Yeah, do you like head
first chests furds A like feet first? I give myself
whiplash with head first? Yeah, I think I.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
Just like gravity just ah, you just need and so
I always figure four or okay something related.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
Yeah, it doesn't look pretty, but you know it gets
the jump, tickets to done. The ball is caught. Yes,
that's all? Is it out? I feel like I've only
done figure four maybe like once in my entire life.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
Really, yeah, I'm trying to think of, Like, I can't
even remember the last time I dove.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
It was a cool weeks ago. That was a slide.
Oh yeah it was a slide.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
Yeah yeah, oh you left your feet?
Speaker 2 (49:04):
Yeah, like diving on my chest. Couldn't tell you.
Speaker 3 (49:08):
I mean it looks it would be like in the gaps,
but I don't really get those often. Okay, yeah, did
you start off going on your chest?
Speaker 2 (49:16):
You start?
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Yeah? I did dive a lot. I don't even know
when it became a only figure four thing. Couldn't tell you.
A lot of people ask me like, and how do
you dive or how do you slide? I'm like, I
don't think I've ever done a drill really, Like you know,
like the mat where you like to dive and you
learn how to dive with like tennis ballsers. I've done
(49:37):
that for diving. But figure four it's just like you
slide into a base. Uh so just catch it that way. Yeah,
I don't think I've ever practiced that.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
I guess maybe it's like the timing because if you
go too soon, obviously the ball isn't low right, like,
but that's yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:55):
But they always say, like if you're running in to
figure four, just because you have you know, your middle
infield working back right, so figure four that way, so
it's safer. So I feel like all the balls that
I've pretty much caught have always been in front, side
to side, so it's just always been naturally figure four
for me.
Speaker 2 (50:13):
Okay, well, since you're her figure four pro thanks to
your walking back. You don't know how you did what
did you say? What do you go? Or or when
you do do the figure four because I'm Pausitive've probably
only did twice in my life. Is it harder though?
(50:34):
If the grass is like, yes, it's it's terrible.
Speaker 3 (50:38):
There's a lot of times where you'll stick and then
you'll get up in like that chunk of of grasses.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
Yeah. Yeah. Have you ever tried it and you literally
just went nope, you just didn't even go anywhere because the.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
I'm trying to think of like what field that could
be at Sometimes Texas was like that it was just dry,
But most of the time no, I think it was like,
well maybe it was like.
Speaker 2 (51:01):
Was it the grass grown?
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Now? Yeah, I see if it's really high, is it
hard I'm like, which one is it?
Speaker 2 (51:08):
Lylly? And if you clear your feet it's easy. In
my mind, I'm thinking if you don't clear your feet,
how you could just kind of stick.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
It's that like you'll stick, but your cleat will stick
into the grass. So yeah, there was definitely times where
that happened.
Speaker 2 (51:23):
The best advice doing the figure for it, I think,
so is what what's your best advice to doing this?
Speaker 3 (51:29):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (51:31):
Like how to do it? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (51:33):
Like if you just say one, I literally just say,
like you're sliding into a base.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Okay, just think about sliding into a base. Yeah, and
make it happen. Because people are like what drills? Like
would you do?
Speaker 3 (51:42):
And I guess I always say the you know the
matt one, like you could try it on there or
with littles. I tell them to do like the water
the water slide, Yeah, where you where you do it?
Speaker 2 (51:53):
Other than that? Yeah, and make the catch. Just make
the catch turn into adviso. As SAPA player's, failure is inevitable,
but oftentimes failure is what leads us to our biggest successes.
What is your favorite failure that has ultimately helped you
become who you are today? I mean, I think I
literally fail every day on the field, So.
Speaker 3 (52:15):
Well, can you dive deeper into that?
Speaker 2 (52:16):
I mean you say, you feel like you fail every day,
but you still show up and you still perform, Like
how does that then still lead you to success? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (52:25):
I mean I was always that person that wasn't angry
at like the world or the people around me. I
was always angry at myself because I knew what I
was capable of, So like a swing and miss was
considered a failure to me, Like like just as little
as that was considered a failure because I knew how
much better I was than that. And then I think
(52:48):
like starting out in college, I was I was very inconsistent,
so like there was games where you know, I would
ball out and then it's like, how in the next
game could I not, you know, match that? So I
think that, you know, the inconsistency was considered a failure
to me. So trying to again read situations and do
stuff like that, like learning over and over again that like, yeah,
(53:11):
those little things do happen, But what can I do
to be more consistent? I'm like trying to think of
even in practice yesterday, trying to think of like what happened.
I think I still look at everything situationally, but like
even in the cages, there's things that still need to
be fixed with my swing today, So a failure could
(53:35):
be just like mechanically, why am I looking the way
that I'm looking and why am I feeling the way
that I'm feeling. But again, I was always a person
to be mad at myself and not take the advice
in the criticism from other people as a learning curve
and like this could help me, And today I do
see it as that, as like people want to give
me advice because they believe in what I'm capable of
(53:58):
and how I am as an athlete, and so like
being able to see that for myself but also see
that people are willing and able to do that for
me was very eye opening to like, these failures are
going to make you better because you have people around
you that want you to be better and are willing
to help. So like, again, yeah, my swing and misses yesterday,
and like the way that I was working mechanically was
(54:19):
a failure, but I got advice and I got help,
and I had people around me that cared and helped
me in the moment.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
So realistically, that was a success for me, you know. Yeah, yeah,
essentially because I think so like to your point, in
the game time the outfield, if I missed the ball,
I had to miss that ball in order to catch it,
like that one ball in order to catch the next
thirty right, because I had to fail that moment that
swing it missed. For you, I had to do that
in order for me to get maybe that advice, or
(54:48):
for someone to say something to me that maybe they
never would have said, a perspective to learn that maybe
I never would have learned had I not swung and
miss at that ball, or had I not dove and
miss for that one ball. So I think, to your point,
any failure, every failure, can lead to something more or
something better if you allow it. Yeah. Well, Bella, we've
(55:09):
had a really fun conversation of yes is, of nos,
of consistency, but most importantly a perseverance, and you talking
about being able to persevere through whether it's failure, through
being able to find yourself again, find the love, the happiness,
to remain present and to know that we are what
(55:31):
we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but
a habit, and show up every day whether it's repeatedly failing.
Because you're continually failing, you're only getting better and closer
to your success. Thank you so much for dropping your diamonds,
Thank you for having me, and I'll catch you guys
next week. Back on the Diamond with Dropping Diamonds.
Speaker 1 (55:58):
Dropping Diamonds with Aj andrew is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited, Softball Link and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. I'm your host, AJ Andrews. Our
executive producer is Jesse Katz. Tari Harrison is our supervising producer,
and this episode was mixed and mastered by Mary Doo.
Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app,
(56:21):
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dropping Diamonds with Aj Andrews is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to Dropping Diamonds, where we dive headfirst.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Into the world of softball.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Today. I'm joined by somebody that knows what it takes
to make it to the top level. She made a
World Series three times. She is coming out of Texas,
and she is outfitter for the AUSL Bandits.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It is the one and the only bell Edy. Thanks
for joining me, Yes, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well, when I start this podcast, always have to start
it off, you know, start off strong. So I start
off with affirmation or quote to kind of lead us
into things. And so, because I don't know too many
people who have been to the World Series three times,
obviously I want to see a y Okahoma, but a
different conversation for a different day. So we're gonna talk
(01:05):
about some consistency. The quote is consistency is what transforms
average to excellence. So an affirmation I like to bring
from that, probably I am what I repeatedly do.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Excellence then is I'm at but I have it?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Do you like it? I like it. Do you love it?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Bella, yes, because I've never heard it before.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Do you have a quote that you like to live
by or that you you kinda go back to?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Honestly, I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Sometimes I'm like, maybe I could think of one in
the moment, but no, I don't help one.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Okay, do you have a motto? Do you tell your
something me some on the field?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
My dad growing up always said perseverance. I grew up
with four brothers, so there was always things happening, good
or bad, and I think he was always he was
ever that crazy softball dad. He was the more supportive
type and kind of just watched, so like if things
went wrong, it wasn't a yelling match. It was more
of like persevere through you know what you're going through,
(02:05):
Like it's it's not gonna stay the way it is
for long. So that was kind of a motto. I
put it in a glove that I had put together
and I wasn't gonna use it, But here we are,
I'm using it today, so it's cool.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Persevere things don't stay like this for long. Just perseverance experience.
But yeah, can you think of a moment that you
really had to persevere Ooh.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I always go back to the transfer portal. I know
there's so many people in it today, and when I
was in it, I don't think it was, you know,
as big or there wasn't as many people. But I
would say that was probably one of the toughest experiences
that I've been put through. Yeah, transferred from Arizona. Yeah,
why was it so tough?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
But made it so hard?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was midyear. I think that was the last year
that you were able to be midyear unless you were
a senior. I don't know how the rules changed, but
it was just tough having to decide with in short notice,
like I probably decided within a week, and not being
able to travel it was still COVID kind of and
(03:08):
not being able to travel again with that short time span.
So it was more of like zoom meetings and like
three D campus views and stuff like that. And I
was able to go to Texas and visit there just
because it was so close to home, so that was
a plus. But other than that, trying to figure out
I feel like there was a lot of things that
(03:30):
I was looking at young that I wasn't looking at
the right things, and so again in that short amount
of time trying to pinpoint all the right things that
I was looking for in the portal. I think that
was the hardest thing, and hoping that you know, it
would be successful me and what were the things that
you were looking for?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Just better education?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Obviously it was at a point where you didn't know
if softball was going to be where it is today,
which is a great opportunity, So you have to look
at the educational aspects, know that, like you still need
to find something you're passionate about in you know, the
job field, and know that you know you still have
to go that route. So that was like top one.
When I was first looking at schools, that wasn't something
(04:13):
I was looking at. I was looking at like the
atmosphere and a softball world and education was education to me,
Like it wasn't, you know, something top of the line important.
But when I was in the portal, that was like
one thing that I was really looking at. And then
closer to home, I was I'm very family oriented, so
being at Arizona that was like fourteen hours for me,
(04:34):
so like ur in the poor Yeah, driving that drive
was was something. So in the portal, getting all the
calls from like further away schools. I was just like,
that's an automatic note. Even though it may have sounded
nice in the moment, it was just like a note
for me, like stay on track of like what you
really want. So again, I was lucky to have the
close schools that I that I had to visit.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
And that's the reason why you wanted to transfer in
the first Like I just really you weren't getting what
you felt like you needed. Not even that.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I think it was just atmosphere. Like you you go
there on your visit, and your visit it's like what right.
You see the two days and you're like this, I
would love this, and then you live there for a
year and it's like there's things that are lacking. Obviously,
it's very hard for freshmen in general, you know, to
be away from home because you what, you live there
eighteen years of your life and you're around your family
(05:25):
and then you're all by yourself. So I had to
kind of take away that aspect and understand, like is
this atmosphere right for me? It's just somewhere I would
see myself living for four years and it just wasn't that.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And also I.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Felt like my ability to play the game would be
shown off a little better somewhere else, And so I
based it off of like how I could promote my
game a lot better personally. And then yeah, again Atmospheres
was just not for me.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I'm talking to this guy either, because you know, there's
so much which conversation about the Transfer portal and everybody
has an opinion on it, and having a conversation with
Skyler her transferred from Alabama, it's the Florida anything like
the best decision ever and her really being able to
step in her own become the player that she wanted
to be. I didn't transfer, but I was always pro
(06:18):
transfer portal because I had teammates and I had friends
that fell out of love with the game at a
certain place, and I was like, listen, I just want
to follow love this off all again. And when you
think of to people that have all these different opinions,
what do you say to that, because in me, I'm like, listen,
let people go where they're going to thrive.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, I think I mean today the opinions could be
better because now you could say, oh, it's based off
of money, it's based off of you know, these contracts
that again, like people are being able to get paid today,
you know, based off of like maybe how good they
are or just like what they can represent a brand
as But I think when it comes down to, like again,
(07:00):
the atmosphere in wanting to love the game and stuff
like that. I mean a lot of people with the
opinions are people that I find I've never been involved
in the sport, have never played the game of softball.
Maybe they played other sports, and maybe the transfer portal
wasn't you know, a thing, or maybe they didn't feel,
(07:21):
you know, that they didn't belong in that position to
have to transfer. But I think it definitely makes a
big difference to know your worth where you belong and
how much better it makes you as an athlete and
just as a person. Like I could tell you I
was two different people when I was at Arizona and
(07:41):
then when I went to Texas. So like, I don't
give into the opinions of others in what they think
when it comes to.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
There's a lot of people that they're like, you were
at a different school before Texas.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Like ex YAC Exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Honestly, I didn't even know Skyler. I just came to
the realization that she was at Alabama before Florida like
the other day.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
So it's like quite a few people and like they
transfer and have immense success. And yeah, you just don't
realize body at school when you say you were two
different people.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
How So, when I was young, so I was still
trying to figure out my life and kind of the
person that I was becoming. I don't think that I
was very social. I'm just a person that sits back
listens to the people around me. But I don't feel
like I was able to make my personality known, and
I felt like, you know, the growing path maybe for
(08:43):
the team at the time was I mean, they won
Arizona one in the past, and Andrea was such an
amazing coach and I actually had the privilege to be
with him with the Italian team last season, so I've
always loved him and his philosophy and stuff like that.
But I think when it comes down to relations and
ships in the game, it wasn't what I thought it
was going to be, and so I felt more to myself.
(09:06):
I had amazing roommates and they made my personality come out,
but I think with everybody else, I was just closed
off into myself and didn't really put myself out there.
So when I transferred, I think that was one thing
that I told myself was like, be a part of
where you are and where your feet are and be
yourself because what's not to love about being who you are?
(09:30):
And so I think that also made me the athlete
that I was at Texas and kind of put me
away at Arizona. It was just me personally not doing
the things that I loved or putting myself out there.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So you feel like in Texas you really stepped into
your own and made the decision that I'm gonna be
Bella no matter what it is.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Was that like a hard thing to step into or
did it become easier once you left?
Speaker 3 (09:54):
It became easier because I started talking to more people
and meeting so many different personality. I mean, when you
go to Austin, if you have never been to Austin,
there's so many things to do, There's so many different people.
You could probably find any person like you can find
your crowd, yeah, And there's just so many things to do.
So you find maybe more hobbies that you love. And
(10:14):
I think that you know as much as you do
play softball every day and your schedule becomes same thing
different day. I was able to be with people who
maybe had the same hobbies, but we would take full
advantage of our off days.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
We'd be together.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Obviously, you're worth your softball team every day all day,
So like being able to grasp onto those hobbies outside
of the field, I think made the environment so much better.
Whenever you're with a softball oriented team that's just softball, softball, softball,
you feel like you're almost trapped in this softball bubble
and like taking a breath outside of it is almost like,
(10:49):
I guess illegal, like you're kind of like, is this wrong?
So at Texas, I feel like it was more relaxed
in that sense to where like you're at the field,
it's serious, like that's business. You put in your extra
work personally, and then when you have that off time,
do the things that you love with the people that
you love. And I think that my teammates open that
(11:10):
up for me, and they also did those things, so
it was.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Like easier to do. How great you think that is
just for like the mental aspect of the game, being
able to step out of softball from time to time
to really have an identity outside of just being able
to play ball. Yeah, I think it's I think it's
very important. I was.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I think at Arizona, I was more of like the
I shiruk out once and it was like the end
of the world, and I was like, am I going
to play again? Like was that the deciding factor of
whether I played the next game? Or when it happened,
I was like, I have two more at bats, but
I still feel hooked on that one strikeout, and so
I don't feel like ever got up out of that
(11:50):
headspace there, so being able to you know, step away
from the game and hook onto those hobbies and stuff
like that, I think, or even religiously, I found myself too,
like devoting myself to things, but also like letting things
go and letting them be the way they are. I
think that makes you mentally stronger, and again finding those
(12:13):
teammates that do have the same beliefs in same you know,
headspace as you it's easier to speak it. I also
journaled a lot when I went to Texas, so as
weird as it sounds, I like talk to myself, but
in a journal, so like whether it was good or
bad that day, I wrote it down, and like when
I woke up the next morning. It was like a
(12:34):
new slate, so like whatever I wrote down was released,
it was let go. So it was like, you don't
get to think about it anymore. Like you talk to yourself,
you told yourself what you need to do, what needs
to be better, or hey, what was great that day
that you want to consistently keep doing. And so the
next morning it was a sense of relief to know that, hey,
I let those things go, or hey, I'm holding on
(12:56):
to the right things. So I normally tell a lot
of my younger clients like hitting wise, they also come
to me for a lot of mental stuff, and that's
the one thing that I tell them. I'm like, start
writing or journaling, like it's not a diary, nobody has
to read it but you, but like it's a great thing.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
It's a great aspect. Journaling is so powerful in so
many different ways, whether it is releasing emotion or releasing
thoughts to even like developing creativity. I journal a lot
just for different ideas. Was there ever a moment when
you were journaling that it took you more than just
one day to release?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Honestly, no, I don't. I don't think so. I mean,
if I had a journal like five pages, okay, sure,
a longer longer. I think it would just be like
you have the time. If you don't have the time,
make the time to journal. Don't make an excuse as
to like, oh, I need to go to bed at
nine point thirty.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
It's nine twenty five.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Like you can journal within those five minutes, even if
it is half the time. But like, I mean, I
always sat there. I don't think there was ever a
moment where I wrote down and I didn't feel like
I finished the next day. Like I always made sure
that out. Yeah, all my thoughts were written down.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
For someone that's just starting, how do you you start
that sentence?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Right?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
If you're in journaling for the first time, it feels uncomfortable.
It feels different if I'm beginning to write it out.
How do you start like, oh, hey, bala, today's tuck,
Like how do you wait? Yeah, Like on my hard days,
I'm like, did that really happen?
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Or like, just like situations that I didn't like, It's
like you didn't like that situation, but you could have
gone about it this way, or you could have thought
this way to make yourself feel better in the moment.
I know that there are times where you react out
of feelings and you don't take a minute to just
think about what the situation is. So I think in
those bad times, it's more of like situation based. What
(15:00):
I'm writing is literally exactly how I feel.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Like when you end it, to know that you've gotten
everything out? Is it a feeling to know okay, well
that's it, Like I feel better?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
You know?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
How do you know when to stop? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I think that once I get all my thoughts out,
it's more of like again, like I get all my
bad thoughts out, I end it in a way of
like how could you be better? Or how could this
situation have gone a different way? Or like give your
one hundred percent If you're one hundred percent is seventy
five percent that day? Like you can tell people that
(15:34):
not everybody's gonna have the same one hundred percent, maybe
writing that down as like today wasn't fully one hundred percent,
it was sixty percent, So how can you find that
forty percent tomorrow to make it one hundred percent? And
then affirmations. I think a lot of people they love affirmations,
but maybe they don't think about them strongly enough or
(15:56):
like they don't do them consistently. But I think that
also being positive at the end of like your bad
journaling is what gives you that sense of relief the
next day is you know, what are you capable of? Like?
Who are you as a person and an athlete?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
So that's how I know. That's pretty much the end
of my journal. That's awesome. Yeah, you finish it like
you say all the negative things you want to say,
but then you finish it with but this is helping
to be better. You finish it with the positives, so
you don't know. I feel like that makes sense now
to be able to go to the next day positively
because you now set your intention on that. But I
(16:32):
love you dropped first diamond, first diamond alert, diamond alert.
You talk about you don't know, quotes or affirmations, you're
good about it. She's sneaky, okay, talking about you're one
hundred percent. If you today, if all you have was
sixty percent and you gave sixty percent, you gave one
hundred percent. I love that going out every day with
what you got in your tank and giving that in
(16:52):
your tank. Let's take a quick break to hear a
word from our sponsor well, choosing between the schools you
Joe's Texas get closer to home. Everything's bigger in Texas.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Is it true?
Speaker 2 (17:14):
What everything?
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Is it true? I you're born, It's how you're supposed
to adamately like, yes, absolutely, I don't know. Okay, I
feel like everyone I've ever met from Texas like, no,
Texas is the best place on our It is great.
I mean there's I do like the barbecue. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Yeah, Austin has a good place. But I think every
city that you go to has a different vibe. Okay,
so like Houston has its own personality, does too, but
like Dallas has no it's its own area compared to
Austin and Houston.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You can't can't compare. What's the best city? That's a
good question.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
I've honestly never been able to be out and about
in Dallas as much as I feel like i'd want to.
There's very artistic districts and a lot of things that
you can go do.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Austin has.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Just because I've been able to be out there more
and see the city in college, I do love Austin.
Sometimes the people creamy up.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Uh you know, Okay, that wasn't where I thought I
was going. I thought we were ending with just like
and sometimes the people. But I love my hometown and
being close to Dallas. It's great. I love it. Texas
is one of the states where softball is gay. You have,
I feel like Texas, Florida, California, Georgia, Arizona. But I
(18:44):
think Big Three is definitely pop of Texas, Florida and California.
Being the triple threat that you are, the dynamic player
that you are, were you always able to do all three?
Barrence s lab hit?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
When did you really develop those tools?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Yeah, I'm trying to think of slapping. I was always
a hitter.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Slapping did come at a younger age developing it. I
played for a guy named Jason Gwynn. He now is
a college coach, but like his development factor in him
just as a coach, he always wanted to see people
succeed as a player and as a person. Like he
was just one of those coaches that you wish you
could play for for the rest of your life. So
(19:26):
just being able to play under him in his development,
I think that helped me a lot in my slapping era.
But I mean I grew up in Texas and then
I started to play for a California team because I
felt like recruiting at that time was it was better
out there. The teams were better, the competition was and
I also had a cousin that played out there, so
basically in the summers, I'd go stay with her and
(19:46):
play on her team. And again at that time, you
could commit in like the seventh grade. Yeah, so it
was also like a priority to be recruited.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I then was only a slapper, and then at Arizona
of like a mix of both. I think I slapped
a lot just because we had Caitlin Low as a slapping.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Coach who was like yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
And then when I transferred to Texas, I went strictly hitting.
So over time it was like, yes, I did all three,
I think situationally, but when I transferred to Texas, it
was only hitting because I think mentally like doing all
three was kind of chaotic for me and choosing things
and you know, a short time span, so it was
(20:31):
only hitting. Then it was like, Okay, maybe if hitting's
not working, try or slap, And then it was like, Okay,
now I can be able to look at the situation
and know exactly what I need to do. I think
it's more of a development thing and being comfortable and
doing all three. But yeah, I kind of always went
back and forth from hitting and slapping, but the button
(20:54):
was always there, right if nothing works, if you was
hon learn how to butt, how quick get that button down?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
What do you like to do the most? I do
like to bunt? Yeah, I do like to bunt. People
are like, do you hit home runs? I'm like, no,
but but you have power. I do. It's sneaky.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
I do like how my swing has developed over time,
being able to be under Steve Singleton and just seeing
how his mind works. As someone who was always in baseball,
I grew up around the game of baseball, so it
kind of came easier to me. But like, I mean,
my swing could have changed like five times over the
span of my career. But where it is today, I mean,
(21:38):
it's amazing to see the development that it has, but
also being comfortable with it. Right now, I'm slapping a lot,
but I still have the hitting aspect in the back pocket.
So even with the coaches, you know, with the bandits
like hearing their philosophies and how they think and just
the different coaching styles they have is also really cool
to see when you've been under the same coaching stuff
(22:01):
for what three four years in college, So it's cool.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
What would you say? It's probably the news perspective you've
learned from playing.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
AUSL, like hitting wise general. Yeah, I think one of
our coaches, Courtney, she talked about how your body style is,
and I'm trying to think of terrestrial and aerial. I
think a couple colleges use it, but I'm not really sure.
I've never heard it before. So she talked about just
(22:30):
like are you someone who is quick or someone who
is like, you know, uses gravity a lot, like are
you in your toes?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Are you in your heels?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
And stuff like that, And so I think just like
how I was swinging was not the swing type for
my body, and like understanding that, and like how she
explained it was just like mind blowing to me, Like
if I switched my swing a little bit to like
what my body would technically be used as because I'm
(23:01):
fast and twitchy.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
And like fast witch muscles and.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
So I feel like I push out of my my
body more and out of my legs, and so like
being set up the way I was wouldn't technically make
sense for my body style and so like being able
to switch that and see what would actually make more sense.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
It works, and it worked. It was changing, I can
say it was too.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
And I think it's just crazy, like you don't hear
that like your whole softball career, and then I've.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Never had in my life. Yeah, yeah, some people who
use it, some people don't. When you first said, I
thought like extraterrestrial, So I was.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Like, no, Ariel so aerieal and terrestrial Okay. When I
looked it up, I read a lot on pictures like
maybe baseball pictures use that for their mechanics and kind
of like how.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
They load and did they load.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Into the ground and and stuff like that. But there's
also a hitting aspect that I did know about. So
it was cool to hear her philosophy and kind of
how she teaches that and how.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
It makes sense and it does. And so because you're quick,
are you more aerial?
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I think I am Ariel Okay, Terrestrial is more grounded,
like your weight is driven into the ground, like you're
just gravity just like you're there, You're it's not me.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, you're moving, You're on the go.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
That also might be a slapping aspect.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
To no, but yeah you're saying, Okay, I want to
look more into that Ariel terrestrial not to be mistaken
for extraterrestrial, but maybe because you are or like you
do not like I was, like, you know what, I'm
start to telling you guys, I'm terrestrial a little extra
because I'm out of this world. I thought she had
(24:49):
a really good pickup one. No, I mean in the
baseball softball community. Yeah, these it was one of us.
But hey, right, well go ahead to the Texas being
a triple threat, not only up at the plate but
at the World Series. It's very hard to do. Going
to the World Series once is very hard. Going thrice
three times is even more hard. When we talked about perseverance,
(25:14):
it takes a lot of perseverance to get to a Supervision,
get to a World Series. But then twenty twenty two
d be the Championship Series. What would you say as
someone gets done three times it takes to make to
the World Series.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
I think it's like one team and one goal, Like
it really sucks and you can see like the dynamic
shift when there's literally one person not bought into the goal,
and so like always making sure that everybody is on
the same page. Like even when we went to twenty
twenty two, like Champs Series, it was always like hard
(25:53):
I think on the like outside to be as one
like outside of the field, but we knew that when
we showed up to the field every day, like we
knew what we were there for.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
We knew what the goal.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Was, and I think that we always reminded each other
of it even when things weren't going the way they should,
maybe within each other. And I think that again we
showed up and we knew the goal. So like whether
you had, you know, a problem with somebody else, like
at the end of the day, you were going to
support that person no matter what on the field. And
I think that, you know, if it were the other
(26:23):
way around that maybe we wouldn't made it as far
as we did. But again, one team, one goal. Even
in twenty twenty four when we went to the Yeah, sure,
when we went to the Champ Series, it was the
same thing, Like we came up with a motto and
there was bullet points. It was win from within, and
(26:45):
it was like bullet points to make sure that you're
connecting with the people around you, even if you don't
hang out with them outside the field, it was like
compliment somebody or ask somebody how they're doing, because like,
you don't know what people go through, you know, every
day personally, and it's just like you don't want to
show up and feel that energy that someone doesn't belong
or someone you know is going through something that you
(27:06):
don't know about. But to at least remind them that
you're there for them, I think changes their aspect and
their attitude throughout.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
The day and maybe to know that, hey.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
It's comfortable for them to speak out on you know,
what they are going through, whether it is athletically or personally.
And academics at Texas are so hard, Like you hear
your teammates going through maybe the hardest majors on campus,
and it's like they are studying all hours of the
night and they have to wake up and play a
game the next day. So it's just like knowing that
(27:36):
you have all these resources, including your teammates, I think
was one of the biggest things that we tied into.
But also trying to play freely. Obviously it gets, you know,
more crazy as time goes on. Like Super Regionals last
year against Texas A and M was probably the hardest
series I've ever played in my life. The year emotions
(27:58):
were crazy. I just it just goes back to like
that matchup should have been somewhere else other than Super
Regionals in my opinion, because of the competition that it was,
but the fight that we had just showed how capable
we were of getting as far as we did, and
again reminding each other, like even in those times that
(28:19):
maybe a pictuer didn't succeed or you didn't succeed in
a situation like you had your players or your teammates
had your back. But again, if there was relationships or
the at least one person wasn't bought in, then again
it could have been a whole different type of situation.
And that goes for the coaching staff too, like they
were always bought into what we wanted to do and
(28:40):
like what our goals were, and they always made, you know,
the sacrifice or the intention to be in that same
goal with us and trying to make maybe situations or
team bonding or something related to such so that we
could always be reminded like, hey, this is our goal
and were bought in one.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
So it was a nice feeling to have that too.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Did the goals change like each new level you hit
or was always just one goal. I think the goal
always is to go to the World Series for everybody.
It's just like that can't be the one.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Goal like in the moment, like regionals, you can't like
term goals exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
You can't have that in preseason when you're just starting.
So I think that those little goals like maybe a
sweep or you know, we go to preseason game like
you have a top twenty matchup or top ten, it's
like those matter so much, and scoring runs matters so much,
like with RPI and all those different types of rankings.
You never know what's going to happen when you know
(29:43):
postseason comes and you're getting matched up with regionals and
super regionals at this point, you.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
You know that I don't know, Yeah, we do not know,
And so I think I think it was like I
feel like you hear.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I think it was winning within ourselves, like this is
our game, so we're gonna win each game individually, and
if we take the series, then we took the series.
But we can't think of the World Series when you're
you're in game one. So like once we got closer,
like it got more, you know, exciting to know, like, hey,
you're still so very capable and you're so close. Like yes,
(30:21):
that's the end goal, but let's focus on right now
and like where we are and what we have to
do as our job to get it done.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Is there anything like Mike whdever said to you guys
that kind of put a fire under you?
Speaker 3 (30:34):
No?
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Okay, no that I love talking to you. Can they
quote no anything? It's now.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
One thing that always cracked me up is he always
tried to throw BP to us and strike his out
and I as mad as I was. His ball moved
so much and it still cracks me up to this day,
Like I mean that was literally his goal, Like he
was so excited to strike strike you out. And I'm like, okay,
(31:10):
I accept didn't get you a lot potentially, Okay, we
don't have to talk about we're talking about like.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
The guy said, pitch. I mean at l SU, it's crazy.
Coachina would always have like the male softball players that pitch.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Yes, she u was, and it was just it was
just different, like even when I played in Mexico or
VP thrower, he was a male softball fast pitch whatever,
and I was like, yeah, I'm not really sure where
it's going.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, hey, but thank you much. I han't touch it.
Thank you for today. I got better today. I always left.
Oh my god, what the day was that I could
have just sat my tea? I was terrible. Yeah now
I know. Yeah for future and then they swing. Now, okay,
(31:59):
I got it.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
There's more to cover, but first, let's take a quick break.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
You have three brothers, four four brothers or are you
in the I'm four of five? Okay, so you just
have one younger brother one younger yes, oh, and then
you played every sport known to man growing up. I
tried yeah, yeah, lacrosse, basketball, track, volleyball, I'm a see one, soccer, soccer.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
How did you land on softball? I grew up playing
soccer and softball. I did try to play both, like
travel ball, and it was just hard to do. I
think it got to a point where I had to
choose one. But I had a lot of uncles like
growing up that played baseball and played in the league.
In one of them, he actually was a college coach
(32:57):
out in California, and so like every year we made
the road trip to California to go to his baseball camp.
So I think that my oldest brother, he played baseball,
so I always sat his travel ball tournaments when I could.
And I mean all my brothers tried to play you know,
Little League at least once, and so watching them, I
(33:18):
think being able to watch my oldest brother play that
was kind of like an easy decision. We were always
at the ballpark anyway, So like why not? Soccer was
just you know, a fun sport to play, but running
seven miles a game, it's just not Now.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
I played. I tried everything, but if it was like
the two of them that stuck out the longest, and
probably what happened with soft Why softball? I honestly don't
remember the day that, like I had stopped playing soccer,
I just don't either play.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, it's just hard I didn't take I don't remember
because I love both. But I think it's because softball
was so year round.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Yeah that like I just never had an opportunity to
stop or kept going. Yeah, I that makes more sense,
Like it never it never did. Actually, yeah, we just
kept I mean we like Chris's break and yeah, I
liked two weeks in between August and yeah, and then
we're back on it.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Yeah, Like I think I just didn't have a choice.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
I'm black.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
It all worked out how it was to work out.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
I'm always curious, like the things at differing universities, what
was like the big or like your favorite yeer? What
was our favorite year? Didn't have something?
Speaker 3 (34:30):
It was always different, Like in twenty twenty two, I
literally remember it at Washington. In our regional, they started saying,
ain't no party like a Texas party. And I think
that regional was also very chaotic, because one, how was
that a regional.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Texas to Washington, that's not very regional.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
But when we traveled there, we had one and then
we lost, so we had to play the third game,
and so like, there was just so many different things
happening in all three games against Washington, and so like
we always had the people that came up with the
best cheers.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
It was not me, but I did. I thought it
was not me.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
I thought it was yeah, no, I but they were
just so good in the moment of like coming up
with the most random things that made sense. But that
one just stuck in my head because it was such
a crazy energetic regional for us.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
So like, ain't no party like a Texas party? Because
of Texas party. Don't see that was better, But we
didn't say that. Okay, that was good, that was that
was good.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Though. What you guys say that was it ain't no
party like a Texas party. And then you would cheer
and say oh, and it would just keep gradually getting
louder and okay, Well.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
What makes like a Texas party different from like Aluisian party?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Well, honestly, I've never seen the Louisiana party. And then
playing against LSU, I never really saw the energy. Actually,
I think I played against them once, so really I can't.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
There's no way to see energy. Really, No, I swear
what man, how many times did I play against?
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Maybe I had to be once. It was at LSU.
I'll never forget. No, No, we did play a series.
We did sweep y'all. Okay, so there really was an
energy for real, I wasn't there besides the guy, you know,
the guy that stands in the stands and he has
the belt, yeah, and a lot of other things. Yeah,
that is like the one thing I'll never forget.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Well LSU.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Why because he's always there. Yeah, he's always there, very
very energetic. Yeah, and when he's right behind home plate
at LSU, it's like, well, the stands are like the
same level as the old field, so he's like right
there like where the umpire is.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
Yeah, does every get distracted?
Speaker 3 (36:52):
No, the stands don't normally distract me. It's like I'm
in the dugout. I'm just watching him.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Like how does but a time? I'm like, how does
he have all this time to be here? You should
make that a job for him? What would you say
is your favorite memory? But they could be pro ball
and collegiate or collegiate memory other than you know, holy
l is you Bobby, I'm trying to think. I think.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
No, I've been able to spend my birthday at the
World Series three times because it's my birthday's tune. First,
I love a Gemini queen. Yes, I am a Gemini,
and so every time it's like I'm always there with
the people that I spend every day with, So I.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Have never hated it.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
It's always been the best time. So like I was
always grateful, So like my first year, not actually was
here for my birthday.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
Just kidding, Geminis we spent member they June seven. We're
always at a stop off film. Always say not one birthday,
not in a soop off field since I was twelve. Maybe, yeah,
I could say the same thing. Yeah, being born in Jerne,
gotta love it.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
You want to say the Texas A and M Series,
I would yeah. Emotionally, I don't think that was my favorite.
It was my last season, so I mean the emotion
it was like when they came back, I was like,
oh my god. And then when we came back, I
was like, yeah, this is nice roller coaster. So I
wouldn't say that was my favorite part. Emotionally, I would
(38:37):
just say when we beat Arkansas too. When we beat
Arkansas and they didn't have our hats to go to
the World Series, we didn't get hats or a ticket
to the World Series because I don't think they were convinced.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
We were gonna win. Oh wow, so we got them
later on. Yeah, and that's your favorite, Yeah, the winning part?
Speaker 3 (39:00):
Yeah, winning party my picture. Haley Olcini, she transferred from
Fresno State whenever I transferred from Arizona. We were both midyear,
and literally her goal was like I want to make
it to the World Series, no matter how much it takes,
Like we are going, and I think having her mindset
and her on the mount she literally threw until her
(39:21):
arm fell off. And I think like being able to
watch someone so passionate and willing and able is someone
that you always want to play behind, and so like
seeing how happy she was to make it as far
as we did. I think that's just a thought that
you can never unsee. Yeah, some of my favorite memories.
Who ask, it's always it's like, never about myself. Yeah,
(39:41):
always like my teammates.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
Yeah, it's like, well that one time Bianca bell at
one time Savanna j Quish.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
Yeah, but your for your Honestly, that's all I got
for you. I didn't have a panic attack my senior year.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
I thought we were losing. That was fun. And I
think those were like you feel like you're gonna die
by the way. Yeah, if you haven't have.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Them for just one okay, yeah I wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
Yeah, you don't wish them there any rehead of time.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
Yeah, don't recommend, do not recommend? Would?
Speaker 2 (40:10):
I know when you talk about going all in using
your body, it takes at a training for that. I
know you train a lot even off season, like when
you're not even working towards softball. What is your training
recommend or how do you like to prepare for season.
Is there something you specifically do? No, say it, just
say it. Sorry to all your young listeners. You just said,
(40:39):
do you create your own workouts? Then no?
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Actually I love the workouts that my college coach had prepared. Okay,
so I kind of went back to her. I have
been all over with just I went and played in Mexico,
so I just wanted to see life pitching, so I
went out there. That's just so hard to find. I
feel like, so like any opportunity you can to go
somewhere and can continue to play, I feel like that's
(41:01):
the best type of training, is always staying in the game.
Like you could take as many reps as you can,
but like seeing the ball off the bat in game
and like that type of feeling I feel like you
can only find in game. So being able to do
that was very nice. Other than that, it's just like
obviously throwing, like if you take time off of that,
(41:22):
you're gonna feel it. And then working on just little
things within hitting and keeping that consistent. I feel like
the longer you play, the more your body just knows
how to play the game. So like again, just making
it consistent, making it always feel good and then workouts twice.
I just went back to my trainer in college and
had her create some workout plans for me. I was
(41:44):
also training for the fire department at one point, so
it's definitely a different type of training like that. And
then now I'm training for a fitness competition, so you
know there's I love fitness and health and stuff like that.
So whatever my body can do to be the best
and how far I can take it, like, I'm gonna
(42:05):
I'm gonna do that. So when's your competition. I'm trying
to be in a high rocks competition at the end
of the year, so probably I think it's in December.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
I'm not a distance runner. He has.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
I picked softball, so get into it, man.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
I imagine that's a I actually don't want to imagine
what that's like. Thanks for stacking us from first to
second base. We'll be robbing third after the break. I
love how in college sometimes we would dread going to
those workouts, and then now it's like, hey, can you
(42:45):
make it for me?
Speaker 3 (42:45):
Yeah? Same thing you literally learn. As soon as I
was done with college and I went to Europe, I
walked everywhere and so like I was able to go
to the gym like on and off.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Like once you.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
Don't actually commit to working out every day the way
you did in college, you soon realize how your body
just does not.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
Look like that anymore.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Yeah, So like you then learn to prioritize it and
make time at least like thirty minutes to an hour,
or you start learning like what you enjoy. Like there's
people that love yoga and plates have never done plots.
It's like people love it, so I might try. I've
wanted to try it once, but I don't know that
(43:32):
I would continue.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
It's really good for like I've had surgery on my labor,
my hip, and so it's like it's one of those
things to really rebuild all that. Yeah, those those ladies
implies are strong. I know I'm reen when it's my
first one and I'm like, I'm going and I present
more physically fit than everybody in there. Right, And then
(43:53):
there's this at least seventy year old woman kicking my
she hasn't stopped.
Speaker 3 (43:57):
I've taken my seventh break, Like it says that's Ploty's That's.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
What I'm saying. I don't want to get.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
That's how I'm like with all these different workouts besides
the ones I did in college. I'm like, you understand
that you were literally built for the one sport, and
like all your workouts is towards that, and like doing
all these different things, you're like, yeah, I'm physically fit,
but like not for that.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Not really. I remember because after I tore my lab
and they're like, yeah, I know your glutes are weak,
I was like, have you seen my butt? No they're not,
and like, no, Aja, it's not. Your maximis is not
the same as all those other little things, all the
other little muscles.
Speaker 3 (44:37):
So I learned very quickly.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Yeah we were training for strictly power, but as far
as like longevy goes fonder and yeah, yeah, it's not it.
I'm sarrying to learn that right now. I'm proud to
say that at least I think, you know, my maximus
am i medius and all the other idioses are strong.
I hope I've tried. I really tried, Bella. When do
(45:03):
you think about softball, your impact and what you've been
able to do on the field. It all started with
have a ball, your four brothers. You talk about your dad,
he's been super chill. My dad's also really chill. But
we always have like a you know, we always have
a car ride, the car ride home. You can you
think of one car ride home that really takes out
(45:25):
from a softball tournament or a softball game.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
No, no, no, I mean my mom traveled with me
a lot to like my game. So like if you
think about the crazy dads, she was the mom version.
So it'd be like, you get in the car, She's like,
what the hell was up?
Speaker 2 (45:45):
It's like quiet the walk, what did you mean to
look that bath? Because you actually had your done on purpose?
You all have the way you look. It was like
as soon as you get in the cars, like, so
what did you think you did wrong? It's like it's
not the time for the Can I have an intermission? Please? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (46:00):
It was never anything like over the top, but I
think like those questions just like immediately just triggered.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Yeah too much. So now as the adult, yeah, come
as much.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
No, No, I mean she would probably still ask the
question today of like so like you yeah, you look
like shit. I'm like, thank you, mom? Yeah, right, said
I didn't already know. She's like, what were you swinging at?
I'm like, did you want to? Did you want to
try to. I love the fan that does that. Was like, right,
thank you, Brian, I meant to swing at that pitch
(46:34):
over my head. That's actually was my plan. Stepping up
to way is so funny at Arizona because a lot
of the fans were older, like yeah, just like elderly couples,
and they would sit right behind home plate and do.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
That exact thing.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Yes, like what are you swinging at? Or why aren't
you swinging at it? And it's just like right in
your ear. I'm like, you know, you thought you'd be
a little nicer to.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
Your own team.
Speaker 3 (46:59):
Yeah no, yeah, that's that's so true.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Some people like hate it playing home because it could
be Yeah, it could be rough playing for a Texas.
Speaker 3 (47:07):
It was never like that. But of course when you
go to the comment section.
Speaker 2 (47:11):
Yeah you just can't. I mean, I'm outdating myself. But
like social media wasn't like a lot bigger was saying
when I was worry again, it makes it sound so old.
It was. It was a thing. It just was you
were getting paid for it. I'll just be there. Yeah, yeah,
it really wasn't either. We were going to go into
my favorite segment and as a fellow AUTI I hope
it's Rus two the no fly zone segment or return
(47:34):
the outfield there's no fly zone. Being an Audi and
being an amazing Audi that you are. You just made
a diving catch right before we guys ended the first
half of the season.
Speaker 3 (47:49):
What is your favorite play you've ever made. I'm trying
to think I've made a lot, just like in foul Territory.
I think like just those in general have been my favorite.
I haven't really gotten the opportunity to make any on
a fence because Texas fence is like twenty feet tall. Yeah, no,
(48:09):
I would just say anything in foul Territory. I made
one where actually slid into the wall, but it wasn't
like a big game or anything like that, so it
was kind of just like.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
Cassual I guess, but I've Yeah, do you like head
first chests furds A like feet first? I give myself
whiplash with head first? Yeah, I think I.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
Just like gravity just ah, you just need and so
I always figure four or okay something related.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
Yeah, it doesn't look pretty, but you know it gets
the jump, tickets to done. The ball is caught. Yes,
that's all? Is it out? I feel like I've only
done figure four maybe like once in my entire life.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
Really, yeah, I'm trying to think of, Like, I can't
even remember the last time I dove.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
It was a cool weeks ago. That was a slide.
Oh yeah it was a slide.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
Yeah yeah, oh you left your feet?
Speaker 2 (49:04):
Yeah, like diving on my chest. Couldn't tell you.
Speaker 3 (49:08):
I mean it looks it would be like in the gaps,
but I don't really get those often. Okay, yeah, did
you start off going on your chest?
Speaker 2 (49:16):
You start?
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Yeah? I did dive a lot. I don't even know
when it became a only figure four thing. Couldn't tell you.
A lot of people ask me like, and how do
you dive or how do you slide? I'm like, I
don't think I've ever done a drill really, Like you know,
like the mat where you like to dive and you
learn how to dive with like tennis ballsers. I've done
(49:37):
that for diving. But figure four it's just like you
slide into a base. Uh so just catch it that way. Yeah,
I don't think I've ever practiced that.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
I guess maybe it's like the timing because if you
go too soon, obviously the ball isn't low right, like,
but that's yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:55):
But they always say, like if you're running in to
figure four, just because you have you know, your middle
infield working back right, so figure four that way, so
it's safer. So I feel like all the balls that
I've pretty much caught have always been in front, side
to side, so it's just always been naturally figure four
for me.
Speaker 2 (50:13):
Okay, well, since you're her figure four pro thanks to
your walking back. You don't know how you did what
did you say? What do you go? Or or when
you do do the figure four because I'm Pausitive've probably
only did twice in my life. Is it harder though?
(50:34):
If the grass is like, yes, it's it's terrible.
Speaker 3 (50:38):
There's a lot of times where you'll stick and then
you'll get up in like that chunk of of grasses.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
Yeah. Yeah. Have you ever tried it and you literally
just went nope, you just didn't even go anywhere because the.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
I'm trying to think of like what field that could
be at Sometimes Texas was like that it was just dry,
But most of the time no, I think it was like,
well maybe it was like.
Speaker 2 (51:01):
Was it the grass grown?
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Now? Yeah, I see if it's really high, is it
hard I'm like, which one is it?
Speaker 2 (51:08):
Lylly? And if you clear your feet it's easy. In
my mind, I'm thinking if you don't clear your feet,
how you could just kind of stick.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
It's that like you'll stick, but your cleat will stick
into the grass. So yeah, there was definitely times where
that happened.
Speaker 2 (51:23):
The best advice doing the figure for it, I think,
so is what what's your best advice to doing this?
Speaker 3 (51:29):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (51:31):
Like how to do it? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (51:33):
Like if you just say one, I literally just say,
like you're sliding into a base.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Okay, just think about sliding into a base. Yeah, and
make it happen. Because people are like what drills? Like
would you do?
Speaker 3 (51:42):
And I guess I always say the you know the
matt one, like you could try it on there or
with littles. I tell them to do like the water
the water slide, Yeah, where you where you do it?
Speaker 2 (51:53):
Other than that? Yeah, and make the catch. Just make
the catch turn into adviso. As SAPA player's, failure is inevitable,
but oftentimes failure is what leads us to our biggest successes.
What is your favorite failure that has ultimately helped you
become who you are today? I mean, I think I
literally fail every day on the field, So.
Speaker 3 (52:15):
Well, can you dive deeper into that?
Speaker 2 (52:16):
I mean you say, you feel like you fail every day,
but you still show up and you still perform, Like
how does that then still lead you to success? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (52:25):
I mean I was always that person that wasn't angry
at like the world or the people around me. I
was always angry at myself because I knew what I
was capable of, So like a swing and miss was
considered a failure to me, Like like just as little
as that was considered a failure because I knew how
much better I was than that. And then I think
(52:48):
like starting out in college, I was I was very inconsistent,
so like there was games where you know, I would
ball out and then it's like, how in the next
game could I not, you know, match that? So I
think that, you know, the inconsistency was considered a failure
to me. So trying to again read situations and do
stuff like that, like learning over and over again that like, yeah,
(53:11):
those little things do happen, But what can I do
to be more consistent? I'm like trying to think of
even in practice yesterday, trying to think of like what happened.
I think I still look at everything situationally, but like
even in the cages, there's things that still need to
be fixed with my swing today, So a failure could
(53:35):
be just like mechanically, why am I looking the way
that I'm looking and why am I feeling the way
that I'm feeling. But again, I was always a person
to be mad at myself and not take the advice
in the criticism from other people as a learning curve
and like this could help me, And today I do
see it as that, as like people want to give
me advice because they believe in what I'm capable of
(53:58):
and how I am as an athlete, and so like
being able to see that for myself but also see
that people are willing and able to do that for
me was very eye opening to like, these failures are
going to make you better because you have people around
you that want you to be better and are willing
to help. So like, again, yeah, my swing and misses yesterday,
and like the way that I was working mechanically was
(54:19):
a failure, but I got advice and I got help,
and I had people around me that cared and helped
me in the moment.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
So realistically, that was a success for me, you know. Yeah, yeah,
essentially because I think so like to your point, in
the game time the outfield, if I missed the ball,
I had to miss that ball in order to catch it,
like that one ball in order to catch the next
thirty right, because I had to fail that moment that
swing it missed. For you, I had to do that
in order for me to get maybe that advice, or
(54:48):
for someone to say something to me that maybe they
never would have said, a perspective to learn that maybe
I never would have learned had I not swung and
miss at that ball, or had I not dove and
miss for that one ball. So I think, to your point,
any failure, every failure, can lead to something more or
something better if you allow it. Yeah. Well, Bella, we've
(55:09):
had a really fun conversation of yes is, of nos,
of consistency, but most importantly a perseverance, and you talking
about being able to persevere through whether it's failure, through
being able to find yourself again, find the love, the happiness,
to remain present and to know that we are what
(55:31):
we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but
a habit, and show up every day whether it's repeatedly failing.
Because you're continually failing, you're only getting better and closer
to your success. Thank you so much for dropping your diamonds,
Thank you for having me, and I'll catch you guys
next week. Back on the Diamond with Dropping Diamonds.
Speaker 1 (55:58):
Dropping Diamonds with Aj andrew is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited, Softball Link and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. I'm your host, AJ Andrews. Our
executive producer is Jesse Katz. Tari Harrison is our supervising producer,
and this episode was mixed and mastered by Mary Doo.
Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app,
(56:21):
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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