Striking Success

In this episode AJ chats with Lexi Kilfoyl, a World Cup Gold Medalist and AUSL Bandits Pro Softballer. Lexi shares her journey from playing various sports to becoming a standout pitcher, highlighting the importance of fun, overcoming injuries, and staying confident. She reflects on key challenges, career moments, and the support of her family and teammates. 

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Episode Transcript

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 (00:13):
When you start to lose that confidence, you kind of
have to reel yourself back in and think that I
can do those hard things because I have it within
me and it's come done before.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
What's up, y'all? Welcome to Dropping Diamonds with Me AJ Andrews,
where we dive headfirst into the world of softball. Joining
us today is World Cup gold medalist and AUSL Bandits
pro softballer Lexi Kilfoil. Lexi continues to make history throughout
her numerous accomplishments. In twenty twenty four, she was named

(00:46):
Rookie of the Year by Athletes Ulimited Pro Softball and
finishing second in the league. She led in stats, points,
MVP awards, multiple shutouts and wins, and internationally, Lexi how
USA win two gold medals at the twenty seventeen and
twenty nineteen Under nineteen World Cups and earn a bronze
at the twenty nineteen USA Softball International Cup. So now

(01:10):
I will take a deep breath because that was a resume.
Thank you so much for joining me, Lexi.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thanks for having me, Ajam. I'm super excited to get
to chat with you and just talk softball.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah, girl, let's talk some softball. I mean you were
both from Florida. I didn't realize until I was like,
look at everything out that cheer from Landa Lakes. I'm like, oh, dang,
you from right around the way. I'm Mana Lee are
from Clearwater, Tampa area, and so growing up playing softball
in Florida, it's NonStop the sun. We get like year
round ball and too Florida girls. We're gonna talk some

(01:43):
ball here before we get going, though, I'd like to
drop some diamonds on this Dropping Diamonds podcast before we
even get started, to set the tone. You know how
we do in softball, We get to set the tone,
lead it off, and so I really to start with
a great affirmation for the podcast because throughout ithere you're
gonna drop some diamonds. So we're gonna start off with one,
and one of my favorite quotes is success is walking

(02:06):
from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm and
an affirmation. I feel like I can gather from that
is I may slip today, but I'll never fall. Yep,
I may slip, but I'll never fall. That's the mentality
going throughout the rest of the day. With that affirmation,
what's one of your favorite quotes that you like to

(02:27):
use or that has been something that's really motivated you
throughout your career.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
I wouldn't say there's not necessarily a quote, but I
think one thing I always try and go buy, especially
on the field, is just constantly having fun. I think
that's what my parents always kind of instilled in me
and my brothers. The second way step on the field
is you should go out there and have fun. And
so I try to have that mindset whether I'm in practice,

(02:53):
whether I'm out playing a game. Even sometimes like in
school and stuff gets tough, I'm like, this is such
a great opportunity and I'm so blessed to be able
to go play the game.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love like, if.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it
having fun. So that's kind of one of those things
that I try and carry with me.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Wherever I go. I love that that was one thing
that really said, because you know, softball can get so
long those days to practice, especially in college, You're coming
from class and just like, the last thing I want
to do right now is go to practice. But I
reframed my mind with the mentality of the fun, where
it's like, Aja, you get to go to practice today.
You don't have to go to practice. You get to

(03:28):
you were living out one of your dreams. What would
you say is like an affirmation we can gather from
that being able to go out and have fun and
stay in priced for a day. What can we say, Lexi.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
I would say an affirmation is almost similar to yours.
What you said is like i may fail, but at
the end of the day, I'm still here on this earth.
I'm still so blessed to be here, and just taking
everything into perspective and just realizing how blessed we are

(03:56):
every single day.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
Heck, yeah, I may fail, but got air in my
lungs and so in the reality, it's a win. Yes,
we could still keep going. I love that. Yeah, that's
a good affirmation. Make sure you remain present through the days.
I'm gonna give you your flowers because you deserve them. I
know I've read your long resume of all your amazing accomplishments.
But wait, there's more. Ladies and gentlemen, there's more. So

(04:20):
we're signing bright like a diamond, and Lexi continues to sparkle.
Oklahoma State alum, she was the first Cowgirl in program
history to be named top three finalists for USA Softball
Collegiate Player of the Year Award in twenty twenty four
Big twelve Pitcher of the Year and first Team All American.
She's a twenty twenty four at These Unlimited Pro Softball

(04:40):
Rookie of the Year after finishing second place on the
leader board, collecting a league high six game MVP aboards.
And So, when we think about softball and your career
and when you began, you began at six years old,
what was it that provided the love of the game

(05:01):
for you that allowed you to achieve so much throughout
your career.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah, I think from the start it was very interesting.
I was just trying out a bunch of sports. I
played almost everything. I was a gymnast, I did cheer, soccer, basketball,
anything you can think of. But I think growing up
with four siblings, my two brothers, they played baseball, and
I always kind of wanted to follow in their footsteps,
and I was like, they're having fun, like out in

(05:25):
the dirt. I want to give it a try, and
it's crazy. I think the first year I played, I
was such a grilly girl. I absolutely hated it. I
was like, get me out of the dirt as doing
as possible. I wanted to go be a cheerleader, and
my dad actually told me. He was like, if I
coach you, will you give it one more shot? And
I was like, of course, yeah that, Like anybody wants
to play under their dad. So I ended up playing

(05:46):
one more year and absolutely fell in love with it,
and like I said earlier, carrying that mindset of having fun.
If you're gonna have fun, you can achieve great things
because day in and out, like that's what it comes
down to, is if you're having fun or not. And
the most successful people whatever they're successful at, obviously it's
tough at times, but they're gonna have a blast doing

(06:07):
it and it comes natural to them.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
I love that, you know, it's so funny. Cheerleading was
my main thing when I first started playing softball too.
I played soccer, I was a cheerleader, and I played basketball,
but like cheerleading was my thing. Like I did all
the flips, I was ready to go, and then out
of all the sports, moms said, okay, listen, all the
sports you play, you're probably least likely going to get

(06:30):
a scholarship and cheerleading, so we're gonna cut that. I
was devastated, Lexie, like, absolutely devastated when she told me
I couldn't be a cheerleader anymore. But I'm thinking, like
when I transitioned into softball, all of my knowledge in
cheers really paid off once we got in the dugout.
Did you apply any of those cheerleading cheers to the

(06:50):
dugouts of the field. Yes, I always.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
I always felt like I had a little bit more
of a voice over some of the girls, So a
little rhythm, little dance roofs.

Speaker 1 (06:59):
But what was like the go to cheer? Like thinking
back in there, like little League softball, under twelve year
twelve US softball, what was like the go to cheer?
You would always try to say.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
I think it was it was something about like a
monkey in a tree, Hey, pitcher, look at me, I'm
a monkey in a tree. Yah Uga that one, yep, yep,
that one We'll see And then everybody would be up
on the fence looked like but yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (07:26):
Love that it's so funny all those come back. I
probably I have not said that, probably since I was twelve,
and it just all came back. Yeah. Well, during your
high school career, you continue throughout your success when your
dad said that if I coach you, will you give
one more shot? So what was it about that time
with your dad that was kind of transformational? That led

(07:48):
one year into another year to another year and then
just kept going with softball.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
We formed such a special bond over that softball, and
he was always a constant I think in the game
and just having a family member supporting you the whole
time is something so special. But ever since obviously my
dad started coaching me, I think we just formed such
a special bond together and I could always confide in

(08:14):
him and.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Literally anything when it came to softball.

Speaker 2 (08:17):
And while sometimes people are like my dad was he
gets on my nerves because he's always like putting so
much pressure on me.

Speaker 1 (08:23):
He was always like a calm soul around softball.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
And I feel like we never took it too seriously
to the point where we have its like.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
Fights about it.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
It was always like life goes on at the end
of the day, like we're playing this silly little game
you're trying to hit a ball, And I think that's
just what kind of helped me develop into the player
I am today. Is kind of just having an overall
perspective when it comes to ball. It's kind of like
a go out there and sometimes I'm like is it
safe to have a mindset like this? But go out

(08:52):
there and just do the best I can to my
ability and like give it everything I got. But at
the end of the day, like softball still doesn't find
who I am. And so that was something that was
kind of instilled in me at that young age through
my dad that I've kind of carried with me now
to this day.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
That's so powerful because I feel like oftentimes as athletes,
not even just softball, we don't come to the realization
that we're not an athlete until we get to the
end of our career and it's like, oh, wait, this,
this is it. Like I've been AJ Lexi, this softball player,
AJ Lexi, this athlete since I could literally remember, and

(09:30):
now I think of the cleats, it's almost like you
have to figure out your identity again. But when you
start off realizing no, I'm Lexi softball player, I'm le
see the daughter, I'm like see the student. Like you
have all these different elements to yourself where you don't
attach yourself to just one. How do you feel like
that impacted your confidence? Honestly, tremendously.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
I think confidence was one of those things that I
kind of struggled with actually in those younger ages. But
I think once I got to the college level, I realize,
like how how much I have within me and like
how much potential I have, not just on the softball field,
but it's crazy to see like the person I've grown
from being that little girl to right now, like in

(10:11):
all aspects of life, not even.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
Just on the softball field. What do you feel like
is the biggest difference between LEXI at six, ten twelve
to LEXI now in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
That's a good one, honestly, Like tagging out to that
confidence piece, I think seeing how much of a woman
I've grown into and how badass I've become, and how
I can do like hard things, whether it's working out,
like getting up and doing a workout that I don't
want to, or like going to the field or to
the gym at six am because I don't want to

(10:46):
like seeing that I can do all those different things
without even thinking about it, Like I could do hard things,
and I know someday softball is going to come to
an end, but kind of carrying that with me where
I go, wherever the world takes me next.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
I love that I can do hard things. And especially
because life be life and sometimes life can get hard,
whether you're an athlete or not, and so I having
to remind yourself I can do hard things. That's another
that's a good affirmation. Actually, yes, And we get attached
to you like through fun, because I know fun is
something that's so important to you and really important to
your success. So it's like through fun, I can do

(11:25):
hard things, yes, and through those hard things, I can
reach the success that I want to reach. And you
talk about how you feel like your confidence was You're
able to grow that throughout your time. Did you feel
really confident in high school? I would say no.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
I had a hard time realizing how good of a
softball player I was, and I think that didn't hit
me until college. I would get so nervous over the
littlest like games, and my coaches would just constantly have
to remind me of like LEXI, you are good, go
out there, just do your thing, and you'll be fine.
And that's where I kind of learned that whatever well

(12:02):
is meant to be will happened. Like trusting in God's
plan and just going out there and doing what.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
You do best, we'll be dropping more diamonds after these messages.
You know what is so interesting when you see some
of the most dominant people and you look at them
from the outside, you imagine that they're probably so confident.

(12:32):
No matter what I mean. In high school, you were
two time selections Florida Gatoray Player of the Year, you
land the Academy Lakes in twenty eighteen and nineteen Florida
state titles, and then you were still struggling with knowing
if you were a good softball player or not. And
I think that that is such a tribute to the
fact that you just never know what people have going on,
and confidence is like it's like working on muscle. No

(12:53):
matter how good you are, you have to consistently talk
to yourself about it. And so for anyone that feels
like I don't know why I feel this way, it
is relatable. And there's so many individuals that genuinely no
matter how good the presenting, they could still be struggling
mentally and still struggling with figuring out who they are
and how well they can do it the hard things.

(13:13):
And so for you, when you began to realize how
good you were, what was the turn? What really kind
of made the shift to say, no, no, I have
achieved these amazing things. I'm gonna achieve more. I am
a good softball player looking.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
Back at kind of like those awards, like you said,
like I think not underplaying those awards, realizing that those
are a.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
Big deal, and yeh yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:38):
When you start to lose that confidence, you kind of
have to reil yourself back in and kind of go
back to all those times that you've accomplished those things.
And so I think back sometimes like playing in AU,
like coming out as a rookie and playing against some
of the best softball players in the world, Like in

(13:58):
my training right now, I gets nervous and I'm like
I'm not meeting the expectation that I'm supposed to be
or like how's this season going to go.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
I kind of like get those.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
Like demons in my mind, but I kind of have
to like reel myself back in and think back to
last season, think back to my college career and think
that I can do those hard things because I have
it within me and it's been done before.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
I love that you to talk about playing with AU
and playing with so many talented players and how you
have to reel your mindset back in and whenever it starts,
because sometimes our worst any means in between our own ears. Yeah,
telling us stuff is like, girl, what you talking? I've
like tap my head sometimes, but what are you talking about?
We are good, we are fine. Let's keep going. And

(14:42):
for you when we feel like those those comments, so
those negativity is coming in, how do you shift and
to get back into having that mindset of just have fun,
which is really what has led you to where you are.

Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah, I kind of try and confide in my teammates
or whoever may be around me. I think like if
I I'm in the bullpen, I try and just spark
up any kind of conversation, like getting away from that
because usually silence or when you're training by yourself is
when you are fighting those demons. And so I just
try and try and distract myself. So whether that's going
to teammates, just having a conversation with them, or in

(15:15):
the bullpen just talking with one of my catchers, or
even just like lifting, like going and listening to my
favorite music just to kind of get those demons out,
and sometimes they sneak back in, But most of the
time I'll find myself just completely forgetting.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
About what I was thinking about. What's the go to song?
If you're like, I'm pumping myself up, I got get
rid of this, but you put not.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
I love a good like this is complete opposite. But
I love a good like EDM, like fist pumping, like
just dancing like the yes, especially when I'm especially when
I'm doing cardio, I'm like over here pumping my fist.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
I'm like, wait up at the jib. Okay, so you
definitely watched Jersey Shore when you were younger. Oh I did.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
I'm assuming what we were in a big TV watching
family either, so we didn't do a lot of that.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
Okay, that's really all I do. I don't know much
about EDM except for in the Jersey Shore episodes. Very
very nay green EDM.

Speaker 2 (16:08):
I would say, but I'm a country music kind of cow.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
But when you got to get back in the zone,
you're put on some dm fist pumpin and you were
getting back to it. Yep. I love that. When you're
training with so many different people and you're in competition
and you're on the team with the best in the world,
there's so much to learn from and there's so much
to absorb, and you meet so many different leaders and

(16:36):
so many different leading styles even in coaching as well.
For you, how would you define a great leader.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
I would define a great leader as somebody that can
face adversity but also stay even keeled.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
Obviously, you see that a lot of sports.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
You have to be able to take a loss, you
have to be able to be beaten up and not
have a good day sometimes. But I think a leader
finds a way to stay within themselves and like stay consistent.
I think sometimes you see nowadays the second that crap
is to van people turn into such terrible people and

(17:16):
they start blaming it on this, they start blaming it
on that, but kind of like finding it within yourself
instead of going and putting the blame on other people.
And honestly, like leaders also, I feel like they can
help drag those people like out of those situations and
helping those people that are the first to blame somebody else,
Blame a teammate, blame a coach, like dragging them out

(17:39):
and saying, hey, no, we all contributed to this loss
or whatever, but we're gonna look at this as an
advantage and the next day we're gonna go and try
and win over whatever whatever we sucked out.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Essentially, who would you say is probably one of the
best leaders you've been able to play with or play for.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
I would say Kenny Guy asked you, my head coach
at Oklahoma State. He was very good about like dialing
us in and usually like when she hit the fan,
whether it was like in the middle of the game,
he would just found a way to come out. And
he constantly reminded us. He was like, don't make the
moment bigger than what it is. Remember that this is

(18:20):
the game that you played growing up in your backyard.
He constantly tells us that. He's like, softball is literally
like you're playing with football with your brothers in the
front yard backyard. He was like, don't make it bigger
than what it is. It's the same game you've played
your whole life. And so he was really good about
like reminding us and like honing us back in like, yeah,
we put in all this work, but have.

Speaker 1 (18:42):
Fun and go go do what you've always done. What
do you think throughout the time, in those conversations and
being able to be led by Koshkayevski, is there one
moment that really sticks out to you where you feel
like we wouldn't have made it through without these words
of encurrent or without him doing this one thing that

(19:03):
allowed us to get where we were.

Speaker 2 (19:05):
Honestly, not one specific thing like sticks out to me.
But he was just always the calm person.

Speaker 1 (19:11):
Yeah. Obviously he was hard on us.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
When we needed a little bit hard, but he was
just always that consistent person that kind of brought us
back down to earth and just really made the game
seem so much simpler than what it was. I'm gonna
say there was a specific moment. I have such a
goldfish mindset that sometimes I forget things.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
That's probably like fifty Like yeah, no, actually, I mean
I've been to the World the World Series twice and
then but no they never Yeah, yeah, but you guys
were able to play like the largest stage at the
World Series. Was the message still the same, It's just
a game. Yeah, Especially I think back to last year
we had a very young roster, and I think that's

(19:56):
when the girls kind of you get nervous because you're
playing in front of twelve thousand people. Everybody's eyes are
on you. And he stays consistent with that piece too.
He's like, you put all the work in that you've
needed to. At this point, you just have to trust
your plan and go out there and play like you're
playing woofotball. He was always that was always his go

(20:18):
to is. He's like, you're in your backyard, play like
you're playing football, whiffleball, wiffle ball. Yes, do you guys
do that often? Like you go out and play a game,
play wi bo ball.

Speaker 2 (20:27):
We actually did last year when I was my senior year.
We were at Iowa State and we had two pretty
rough games. I believe we were one and one and
we were either one in one or zero to two.
And I remember before the Sunday series, he literally went
to the store he got a whiffle ball set and
that was our pregame warm up. We literally went out

(20:49):
we played a game of whiffleball for about thirty minutes,
like team against team, staff against staff, like we were
all everybody was playing and that was his message to us.
He was like, you guys just had so much fun
doing that. You guys were hitting the crap out of
the ball. You guys were making gnarly plays like the
pictures were making the balls move. He's like, it's literally

(21:09):
the same exact game. You're just there's more people watching you.
But it means a little something.

Speaker 1 (21:15):
One. Oh, what a cool reference. Yeah, especially in those
times when like you have so much pressure, it's a
big situation. Oh to count down in the seventh inning,
and then you just kind of go out there and say,
whatever's with the ball, Like I'm about to hit this.
It's large, it's a big yellow ball. Let me go

(21:35):
out and swing as far as I can and see
how fast I com on the base. Is Yeah? For
you when you put things into perspective in that way,
even when you step on the mound as a picture,
How did that frame your mindset when you would step
out every day?

Speaker 2 (21:50):
I think just like keeping it simple in my mind
and realizing, like my job is to get people out,
whether that's getting them to ground out, whether that's striking
them out. I try not to make it more than
what it seems. And so sometimes they'll hit a hard
ball off you, but luckily there's a field of there,
and I'm like, that's a win. That's what my job

(22:11):
was to do and let my defense work. So that's
another thing to being a ground ball pitcher, is just
letting the defense work because I'm playing with the greatest
athletes in the world, Like they're going to get the
job done as long as as long as I produce
some ground balls for them. So keeping pitching simple and
not seeing it as this complicated thing, like it's what

(22:34):
I've always done, hitting some spots, moving the ball a
little bit and getting batters out.

Speaker 1 (22:39):
So keep it simple. In my mind, I love that
keeping it simple, don't make it too much of what
it is, and especial when you have the confidence know
that your defense will be able to get it done
behind you. Oh yeah, definitely, there's more to cover, But first,
let's take a quick break. Was that always how you

(23:02):
looked at pitching, even when you first began when you
were younger, trying to develop what your pitch would be
and that you're going to be a ground ball pitcher.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
When I first started pitching, I was like I got
a little bored in the field and I was like,
I want the ball. The pitcher has the ball every time,
give me the ball. And I think from such a
young age, I think that was what was instilled to me.
It was like the job of the pitchers to go
out there, get the field, or some ground balls, get
some flyballs. Just kept it simple from day one. And

(23:31):
another thing like with my pitching coach at home that
we always work on. She's like, she's good at instilling
that in us. She's like, your job is to get
batters out, no matter how you get them out. It
could be a strikeout, it could be ground ball, no
matter what, just get them out and.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Lead your team. Yeah. So she does not even make
it more complicated. Whatever it is that you think you
can get them out, let's do that. Yes, strike out,
pop up, ground ball, let's get them out. When you
were developing what was to be your pitch, your method
of getting batters out, when did you realize that, Okay, no,
my drop ball is good, or this is a pitch

(24:08):
I'm going to go to this this is the one
that's going to be my signature. How did you define
who you would become as a pitcher.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
I think I was in about eighth grade when I
kind of realized that I would be a drop all
pitcher because my travel ball coach at the time, he
was like, we don't even need fastball.

Speaker 1 (24:25):
All we need is your drop ball.

Speaker 2 (24:27):
And he was like, we're not calling any fastballs, We're
just going straight drop and change, Like that's all we
need and it was getting the job done. So from
that day, because I was throwing it so much, dropball
became my pitch and started to learn how to throw
it more so on purpose than on accident, so it
kind of like was an accident, which what made me

(24:50):
such a natural drop off pitcher. But taking those natural
habits and turning them into actual skills that you know
why you're doing it was kind of of a turning
moment for me. And that was about I would say
my freshman or sophomore year in high school.

Speaker 1 (25:05):
Is that what you would advise the young pictures or
pictures that are really starting out trying to figure out
what's their pitch or what they're they're going to be
best at. It's kind of finding what you naturally do
well and refining it.

Speaker 2 (25:19):
Yeah, I think everybody, even when I still work with
some younger pictures now and kind of just the way
their body works, just trying out different things and sometimes
one will come more natural to you than others. And
so obviously that was drop ball for me. And because
I'm such a tall person, it ended up working out
perfect because then it's coming out from a higher angle,

(25:40):
so which I truly believe if I was shorter, I'd
probably be a rise ball picture. But finding what works
best for you and what comes simplest to you, and
for me that just happened to be a drop off.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
How do you challenge yourself to keep getting better as
you continue to face at every level, right, it gets harder?
How do you get better?

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, I'll say that's a thing that sometimes I struggle
with to to this day, is I keep thinking, I'm
like I need to improve something. Like everybody's getting better
day by day, and when you get to the pro world,
that's a full time job.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
That's what everybody's doing. They're constantly practicing.

Speaker 2 (26:16):
And I think for me, it's been a struggle trying
to figure out like how to get better. And so
I guess one of the things that I've been working
on is obviously like fine tuning everything that I already
have and adding like a little pitch here and there,
but also finding a way to like do different things

(26:36):
with each of my pitches.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
So for instance, like I.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
Throw a little bit of a screwball, so I throw
it mainly on the right side of the plate, but
I've learned that I can throw it on the left
side of the plate, and I've done it on accident.
So I was like, maybe I can. That's one of
those things that I can try and start doing on purpose.
And so, like I said, like finding what comes natural
to me and finding a way to advance that natural habit,

(27:05):
so moving it to the other side of the plate,
or maybe like for instance, like my offspeed curve, Like
sometimes I'm like, if I can just move my fingers,
think of my fingers going up on the ball, like
I have a little bit of a curve that also
kind of rises, so kind of playing off those natural abilities,
but also not being afraid to like try anything so
like a rise. Well, for me, obviously, that's the last

(27:28):
thing I have. I've been working on that for as
long as I can remember, but every once in a
while going back and saying like it's not going to
be easy, but if I put in the work and
effort into this.

Speaker 1 (27:41):
This will make me so much of a better person
and it just challenges your mindset once again. All right, now,
are you going to see a rise.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
Bod debut five in the next three years? That is
that is one of my biggest goals is throwing that
rise I.

Speaker 1 (27:56):
Know people are quivering now, like not a great drop ball.
And then if you have a great rise ball, it's like,
how do we win? There's nothing to do. Ye, just
pick one and the closed riise and swing. When we
talk about dropping diamonds, pressure makes diamonds. Pressure also bus pipes.
But we're gonna make some diamonds today. That's like one

(28:16):
of my like go to sayings. Pressure makes diamonds, Pressure
also bus pipes. We're gonna make some diamonds today. And
when we think about pressure and we think about finding
our home and think about how we feel, injuries can
be something that really has such an impact on us
as players, as people on our mental health. It is

(28:40):
such I don't know if people really outside of athletes
really realize the impact that an injury has on a
player's mental and physical And for you, you started out
your career at Alabama, you injured your plantar fashion yes,
first yep, and then ultimately end up injuring your hip

(29:00):
and you had to have surgery on your hip. From
someone who's also had hip laborm surgery, I just know
the nightmare and the six month recovery that it takes
to come back, and the mental fortitude it takes to
come back from something like that. What impact did those
injuries initially have on your mental health as you were

(29:20):
trying to push through the pain.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
Yeah, I think injuries is one of those things that
nobody else knows the pain you're going through, and I
think that's what starts the mental health kind of discussion.
Is nobody like to a certain extent, sometimes people don't
believe you, and for me that was the case, and like,

(29:44):
I know myself, I know my pain tolerance. I was like,
I know, I'm hurt, and it started affecting the mental health.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
And I think.

Speaker 2 (29:53):
Just realizing that I wasn't crazy and I knew that
I needed help, And I think that was the biggest
step I could have taken for Rema to help too,
is reaching out for help. The first thing everybody wants
to do is kind of run and hide and stay
to themselves because you don't want to share that you're
struggling with people like you're supposed to be one hundred

(30:15):
percent like perfectly fine all the time, but reaching out
for help, whether it's to your friends, your loved ones,
or even like a therapist. I think was where I
saw that turning that turning table, and it kind of
like being injured kind of helped me figure out who
I was outside of softball as well, because you're the
spoor that you've been playing forever, it's being taken away

(30:37):
from you. It was kind of a soul searching moment,
like I know who I am, but also finding yourself
outside of softball while you're sometimes in your deepest, darkest
parts of your life. So KAI got a little sidecheck there.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
No that I mean, that's that's exactly what happens you
are sitting in that pain. Especially as athletes, like we're
since we're young, to push through the pain, right, we're taught,
since we're young, we have to be these titans. We
don't get hurt, and people don't believe unless you actually
see a bone snap and it's like, no, I'm really
in pain, Like I'm not pretending. I'm not trying to

(31:12):
get out of running like this hurts and I know
there's something wrong, and it can just really man have
such an impact on who you believe yourself to be
as an athlete. When you feel like no one believes
in you or believes you, it feels like those relationships,
that connection on a team can really suffer. And when
you're trying to maintain throughout those injuries, throughout that pain,

(31:37):
and you talk about being able to reach out to
your family and the people that you're able to talk to,
what were some of the things that they said to you,
or some of the strategies or words that you've had
that really helped you get over that hump. There wasn't
anything like specific, but almost going back to the like
keeping my mind distracted kind of thing, And whenever I

(31:59):
confide it in my face family, it was never a well,
like obviously we would always talk about like how I
was feeling about my injury, but almost like distracting ourselves
from the fact that life goes on, Like let's talk
about like reminiscing on memories instead of like focusing on, oh,
like you're hurt, like this is going to take forever
to get back, and more so thinking like what the

(32:22):
future looks like and like distracting myself and the fact
that that injury was a thing. But I would say
it was always finding ways to get away from the
injury aspect and forgetting that although I'm injured and although
this is affecting my game, I have my family around
me and that's who I need at the end of

(32:43):
the day, no matter if softball is in my life
or not. You learned so much about yourself did those injuries,
And you talk about how it was kind of like
a self discovery moment for you and thinking about opportunities
and things outside of who you are as a softball player.
It got to the place where you almost wanted to quit,
Like you were in so much pain and it was

(33:04):
something which you didn't want to move forward with. What
did you discover about yourself and your resilience when you
decided I'm going to keep going.

Speaker 2 (33:14):
I think that's when I also found that I needed
my support system more than anything. I think if I
were to make the decision on my own, and if
I were to have nobody to talk to it, I
think there's a very good chance that I couldn't even
like I wouldn't be playing softball to this day.

Speaker 1 (33:32):
Because I just hated.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Softball that much and I was ready to be done
with it. But having my family and having my teammates
really helped me out with that. I think is one
of the biggest things that ever helped me because they
constantly remind me, like, this is another page in your book,
and what twenty pages from now? You're back on the

(33:55):
field a end and it's hard to do it on
your own.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
And finding the.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
People that you trust and the people that you love
to help you get through those tough stages was definitely
a turning table for me, using my level ones to
move forward.

Speaker 1 (34:10):
What do you feel like in that moment was the
hardest thing to come back from? Was it the mental?
Was it the physical? Was it maybe feelings of like abandonment,
regret when you are evolving as a player and as
a person. What do you feel like was like the
most transformational moment which felt like you had to get through?

Speaker 2 (34:35):
I think like those, like the tough days in the
recovery were probably those were definitely the hardest because going
through rehab with an injury, it's hard and sometimes it hurts,
and that self doubt always creeps in again, and like
you have a really bad day at rehab and you're like,

(34:55):
like you leave crying and like it hurts so bad,
and you're like, I can't do this, this is never
going to get better. But then again, having that mindset
of this is only one day. Tomorrow's a new day.
We don't know what it's going to bring to us.
We still don't know, but kind of just having a

(35:16):
Biger perspective on things and battling those those days when
they're hard, because that's what I believe makes you stronger
is fighting through on those days, but being able to
look back at those and say, like, remember when I
thought I was never going to pitch again because my
hip hurt so bad, But knowing that because I got

(35:39):
through that day, it shaped me into a woman, and
it shaped me into who I am as a player today,
and it's made me stronger, It's made me better, it's
made me more grateful for the game I play, and
just overall affected me in the best way possible instead
of negatively.

Speaker 1 (35:56):
I love that when you talk about earlier, this is
just one day. Tomorrow's a new day. It's gonna be
different than today. This is just one page in your book.
And when you twenty pages later, when you come back
to page three or four, it's just gonna feel like
the storyline that helped you get to where you are today,
which is super cool way to look at going through
that because through injury it can be really tough mentally

(36:19):
and physically. And just knowing this is just one day
out of two hundred, however, made more days I have
left of recovery. By the end of this, I'm be
so much strong, which in reality, we really do get
so much stronger because through my rehab, I did not
realize how weak I actually was. Like you know, when
you're lifting weights and we see like the our arms

(36:40):
get bigger, our legs get bigger, like oh yeah, I'm
freaking yoked. I'm strong, and then we go like a
pilates class or something. You're like, actually, this is actually
very hard. I'm doing these very small movements and I
cannot do it. And you have like these like seventy
year old women that are killing the game because those
like small and triggate muscles, and you learn through like
through rehab, just how much strength you have to get

(37:02):
so you come back bigger, better, stronger, And it's just
page one or page two whatever. It is out of
two hundred. But throughout that once you found through your
support system and that perspective and you found the love
and the fun of the game again, you enter the
transfer portal and you decide to go to Oklahoma State.

(37:26):
What was it about Oklahoma State that really screamed this
is my new home. Yeah?

Speaker 2 (37:32):
I think obviously, like I said, having fun was what
was in sildomy the second I picked up a softball,
and I feel like that was one of those things
that I kind of lost.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
And so.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
Going through the transfer portal process, even to this day,
my parents were like, you're making a list of what
you need, like non negotiables.

Speaker 1 (37:55):
It's like almost like speed dating, like what do we
need out of this school?

Speaker 2 (37:59):
And Oklahoma State was actually my last visit, And like
I said, Coach g just instills.

Speaker 1 (38:06):
He's like, have fun.

Speaker 2 (38:08):
The teams that are miserable out there and that hate
each other, they're not going to get the job done.
But if you have fun and you love your teammates,
you love your coaches, everybody loves each other, you're gonna
have a blast doing it and you're.

Speaker 1 (38:21):
Gonna get the job done.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
And that was what really spoke to me at the
end of the day. It seems like he lets us
be a college kid, but also knows that when we're
at the field, like we're locked in and we're getting
our work done. And I think that's one of the
things that I have always really appreciated about him, is
he lets us be kids and he realizes that we're kids,

(38:45):
and he's like, I've been in your shoes before, Go
be a college kid. But when we're at the field,
we're gonna get the job done, but we're also gonna
have fun doing it. And I think that was that
was something I didn't hear from hardly any of the coaches,
and I was like, that just makes me feel ten
times better, Like it doesn't feel like I'm playing for
a business, Like I'm just the same Lexi that I

(39:08):
was ten years ago playing.

Speaker 1 (39:10):
Softball at my little league field.

Speaker 2 (39:12):
Like I'm gonna have fun with my teammates and like
do it smiling, do it with a smile on my face,
and laugh when I mess up, or laugh if I
make an error.

Speaker 1 (39:23):
And just move on from it.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
But he was always he was always good about instilling
us like this game is fun and you're gonna have
fun doing it, and if it's not fun, it's time
to leave.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
It's time to move on. Yep. When I stop having
fun with I'll be done with it. I know. You know,
we shouldn't do like the Drake gettingmore because Kindred but whatever. Yeah,
you know that's what Yeah, Yeah, that was just too
easy to pass that one. Yeah, you talk about being
in the portal of being like speed dating. I was
always so curious what that process look like because you
hear in the transfer portal and it sounds like this

(39:55):
black hole and like we see where people just come
out of and for you, we talk about speed dating,
what is that process like going the transfer portal and
finding your new home?

Speaker 2 (40:05):
Yeah, it was, Honestly, it was a lot. I did
my visits like in the span of like two weeks,
and so three of them go back to back and
then two of them are also back to back. And
do coaches reach out to you?

Speaker 1 (40:16):
Are you like, how do they figure out or how
do you figure out where you're gonna go? For those?

Speaker 2 (40:20):
It was both actually, and most coaches do reach out
to you. But funny enough, coaches g never reached out
to me. So he recruited me when he was out
Florida and he was one of the ones that never
reached out to me, and I thought that was really weird.
And my Dad's like, I think you owe him like
a text message like hey, like I've always loved like

(40:41):
your coaching style, and so it's always gone both ways.
But going on the visits in the span of the
two weeks, it's so overwhelming, especially as a non social person.
It was just so much talking, so much conversation about
like who I am as a person, and it was
honestly exhaust like going from place to place having the

(41:02):
same conversations over and over. But I think, like I said,
Oklahoma State being my last one, it was such like
a breath of fresh air because they were so true
to themselves and just like slullid back and was like
what you see is what you get, and obviously went home,
sat on my options for a little bit and it.

Speaker 1 (41:22):
Was really hard.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
I remember like calling all the coaches in tears, just
knowing that anywhere I would have ended up would have
been a good situation because all these coaches were such
amazing coaches. But like literally being in tears crying and
calling the coaches because I was it was that hard.

Speaker 1 (41:39):
I was like I feel like I'm breaking up with somebody.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
Yeah, it was hard, but knowing that whatever decision I made,
it was going to be a good decision, and obviously
like trusting in God's plan and wherever I ended up,
I was going to make a home out of it
and make the most of the situation.

Speaker 1 (41:59):
I love how you said I felt like you were
breaking out with people. It's like, it's really it's not you,
it's me, Like I just need this.

Speaker 2 (42:05):
It was a really tough day for me. I was
like I'd like be balling my eyes out and I'm like,
I have to call another coach.

Speaker 1 (42:11):
I got to call another coach. How many calls did
you make?

Speaker 2 (42:14):
I called four coaches to tell them now, So it
was okay, it was really tough.

Speaker 1 (42:18):
Are you able to say who was between Like you're
like top two Oklahoma State and Arkansas? Okay? Yes, man,
you and the SEC would have been scary girly, yes,
but yeah you back in there at Arkansas, but you
felt like you got where you were supposed to be. Yes.

(42:39):
I truly believe that.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
And like being with these girls every single day, I
feel like they've also helped with that confidence piece, like
they bring out the good in me, and they pushed
me to be a better person every single day, And
I like keep thinking back, I'm like, what would it
be like if I went this route? But I keep
like thinking to myself, I'm like, there was no other route.

(43:01):
Like at the end of the day, like whatever route
it was, it was gonna work out. But I think
I truly was meant to come to Oklahoma State because
of the people here and because of the person they
like shape me into. And obviously like still love everybody
to death so much that I wanted to say and
be a grat assistant and so but yeah, truly truly

(43:24):
ended up where I needed to be.

Speaker 1 (43:26):
Thanks for sticking us from first to second base. We'll
be routing third after the break, throughout your career and
throughout softball. To me, it sounds like we gotta have fun,
and we're having fun in order for you to feel

(43:48):
like you're able to perform the best of your ability
and be who you really know yourself to be. And
always comes back to that, whether it's when you're young,
through injury, through finding yourself a new home, or through
your mentality at the mound, it is finding the fun
and that's when you find yourself and through that, it

(44:08):
definitely felt like that that's what happened as you go
into pro which can be the opposite when you're trying
to find yourself. But you're a Rookie of the Year
in twenty twenty four and then you just continue to
break barriers and made history as you were the first
person selected in league history, but the first pick in
the first round by the Bandits. You are somebody that

(44:30):
is breaking glass ceilings left and right, the inauguration of
AUSL as the new league format, and you are the
first person picked. When you hear about the fact that
you made history, what's the first thing that comes to
your mind?

Speaker 2 (44:44):
Honestly, I feel like it still doesn't really dawn on
me too much. But honestly, being the first pick is
one of those things that I never like, kind of
envisioned in my brain. Like people say it's like a
dream come true, but it was I guess I could
say like it was never a dream. And so it
really is just so amazing to think that we're trying

(45:06):
to get this sport to where it's going and to
be one of the first selected is an absolute honor.
One of the first, the first the first.

Speaker 1 (45:16):
Yes, I freeze that girl by no mistake, Like see
you are that girl?

Speaker 2 (45:21):
Yeah, And so like being up with all those names,
being up there with Megan Framo and Carly Hoover is
just a complete honor because those are some of the
girls that I always like looked up to, saw his
role models, Like I'd always hold them on Instagram, like
watching what they're posting, and so to be up there,
and it's just one of those things I never really

(45:43):
saw for myself. And I think staying true to who
I was has a lot to do with that and
not letting my head get too big, and like we've
talked about literally this whole time, just going out there
and playing softball doing what I've always done is honestly,
like I think what's contributed to where I've gotten to today.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
I love that Who do you feel like inspired you
the most when you were growing up as a player?
Who do you look up to?

Speaker 2 (46:09):
So I never really watched college softball, That's the thing,
Like we were never a TV watching family, never really
watched college softball. But I remember when I first started
getting recruited at Florida, I really looked up to Lauren
Hager because at the time, she was their ace there
and I remember following her on social media and just

(46:30):
watching everything she posts, like watching her games, and I
was like, that's so cool that she gets to lead
her team and be a national champion.

Speaker 1 (46:38):
And I was like, I want.

Speaker 2 (46:40):
To get to that point one day and to think
that today is like that day. Like now I'm I'm
a pro athlete. I'm like, I get to play softball
for a living. Now, I don't think it'll ever hit me.
And I keep saying that. People are like, has it
hit you yet?

Speaker 1 (46:55):
Has it? Has it hit you yet?

Speaker 2 (46:57):
And I'm like, honestly, it hasn't, and I don't know
if it ever will. Well, part being a professional, I
think like being a professional and knowing it like this
is my job. People always talked about growing up like
whenever you find a job, like find what you love
and you'll never work a day in your life. And
I honestly believe that. Now I'm like, if I can

(47:18):
play softball and go help other people, maybe.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
Help some younger girls, I'm like I could do this
for the rest of my life.

Speaker 2 (47:25):
And now I truly understand what people say, like find
a job you love and you'll never work a day
in your life. So it's really cool to think that
I could make a life out of this, and that
is my life right now is an athlete.

Speaker 1 (47:40):
It's so crazy, especially when your foundation is built on fun,
Like I would say my foundation, a lot of it's
built on hard work. And so a lot of what
I feel like I define as far as success and
what I've done comes down to how hard I've worked.
But when you're able to have your foundation of did
I have fun today? Is this what I really enjoy?

(48:01):
That allows you to push through the times when you
didn't feel like you did well or you felt like
you could have worked harder, And it's almost like the
judgment there is like, well I had a good time,
Yeah we lost, but I have fun. Let's do again tomorrow,
but let's win this time. Yeah. It's just like a
completely different perspective. And then being a professional, this is

(48:23):
your job. You love it, but not only do you
love it, you're so good at it. And then you
have your Bandit's head coach Stacy Neuman. Did it Denise
talking about she keeps the ball des a quote from
her from Stacy Newman, which is one of our best
catchers in softball history. She keeps the ball down, has
good velocity and an amazing change up. She's a type

(48:47):
of picture on a longer term, she's a franchise picture.
You draft a franchise quarterback when you're an NFL team,
So she's a franchise pitcher for the Bandits. You are
held in such high esteem, and she's seen some great pictures, right,
She's caught some of the best of the best in

(49:08):
college softbare, professional softball, Olympic softball history. And those are
the words that she had to say. From you, What
does that reaffirm about you? Especially when you didn't have
that confidence when you were younger, and now you're hearing
one of the best in the game say you're a
franchise pitcher. What is it a reaffirm for you?

Speaker 2 (49:28):
Honestly that the work that I've put in all these
years has paid off. I think being named a franchise
pictures like something I.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
Would have never thought of.

Speaker 2 (49:42):
But to think that people see me as that way
is honestly such an honor and such a blessing, because,
like I said, that confidence piece, sometimes I have a
hard time seeing how good I am. And so that's
another one of those things like hearing that just I
feel like gives me that confidence and and that feeling
in my soul, like knowing that I can do I

(50:03):
can do it because other people see that within me.
So being named like that is it's awesome that our
sport has gotten to that point and it's gonna hopefully
continue to grow to how football and baseball are in
America these days. So to think that I could potentially
be the start of that is really such an honor.

Speaker 1 (50:25):
And so crazy to me.

Speaker 2 (50:26):
Like I said, I don't think it really processes in
my mind. It kind of just I'm like, Wow, that's cool.

Speaker 1 (50:33):
Put you. I love that. It's just like wow, thank you.
And then who do you feel like? Franchise pitcher, what's
one of the toughest batters you've had to face? An
au Pianca Selly.

Speaker 2 (50:50):
I remember, I think it was a week five and
me and Tory were talking. We're like, I was like,
what do you think I should throw her right here?
And I was throwing her what I like call like
one of my pitches I have, like a it's it's
a drop and a screwball, so it kind of like
runs in on their hands and she's like you could
definitely get her on that. And so I stepped on

(51:11):
the mound with such confidence and I was like, I
know she likes to hit it up and in, but
if I could get it as a ball, she's gonna whip.
And I remember throwing that ball and she hit that thing.
I kid you not, maybe three hundred feet And I
was like and then returned to Torrit chuckled.

Speaker 1 (51:25):
I was like, well that didn't work.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
Those players that I think she puts off such a
good swing on every single ball that you kind of
have to fear for your life. Like I'm like, I'd
almost rather like throw it up against the backstop than
leave it down the middle because that ball could come
right back out of my face.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
But there's definitely a tough one to throw too. Well,
that didn't work. I was gonna ask you, look, your mentality.
Let's that you get down the count or you give
up a home run. How do you come back from that?
But it sounds like it's just like I gotta try
something new. Yeah, what is that mentality for you? Yeah?
I feel like I have.

Speaker 2 (52:04):
It's like that nonchalant like, well, oh well, let's move on.
Sometimes I like think tomorrow. So I'm like, is that
a bad quality to have as a pro athlete? Like
just nonchalant and like, okay, let's move on. But at
the end of the day, I think that's who I've
always been, So why would.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
I change that? No, I think that's something we all.
I feel like we all try to get to that
place and you're trying to figure out if that's bad.
We're all trying to get to a place where I'm
not trying to throw a bottle or break something when
I get upset. I'm trying to be more even keel, Like, see,
we're gonna play a quick, fun game. Okay, it's either
or super quick. So you bring all your nonchalantanis okay

(52:46):
to this aspect and see your cool, calm and collective responses. Ready, okay,
collar text text as limited talking as possible. Yes, yeah,
text me so and you're bad at texting. I'm terrible
at it. Okay, perfect, So like paid you we had

(53:07):
to bring pagers back? Yeah, remind you to text me back. Okay.
Do you like a plan or do you have to
go with the flow? Type A Type B.

Speaker 2 (53:16):
I definitely go with the flow. I'd rather follow in
the group.

Speaker 1 (53:19):
I'm like you tell me what to do and I'll
do it, you know, like I could have guessed that
paintings are photographs photographs mm hmmm. Nice. Would you like
to speak all languages or speak with animals? Ooh, I
think speak with animals? Yeah, same, I think animals. I

(53:44):
could be the little the end of the World, Eliza
Thornberry is what I'm thinking. Tell me you know what
I'm talking about. I don't. Oh, my god, the nineties
Baby and Me just really showed. Oh god, Okay, laughter,
this Google the wildform Berries. Okay, one of the best

(54:06):
Nickelodeon shows to every debut ever. Okay, all right, last
one toy story. You're Finding Nemo.

Speaker 2 (54:13):
Finding Nemo we have in our house. Actually, I think
that was I want to say. I turned one when
Finding Nemo came out, and that was my enough LEXI enough.
I turned one when Finding Neo came out.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
I don't remember how old I was, My God, I
definitely was older than one. I love that. No, Finding
Nemo is a classic. I don't think I've laughed as
hard like Finding was hilarious to me.

Speaker 2 (54:41):
The more you watch it, too, you start to you
find the like the adult humor in there. Everyone say yes,
that one is Shrek. I feel like finding Nemo on Shrek.
I find the hidden like they were actually made for adults.
The more the older you get, and he realized it.
It's time for my favorite.

Speaker 1 (54:56):
Segment, the no fly zone segment. And even pictures can
turn the field into a no fly zone. You keep
the no fly zone the field and no fly zone
by striking people out. So for you, what is your
favorite play or man you mean or make it a
great play? Pictures are athletic too. Let's not forget what's

(55:17):
the favorite play that you made in your career.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
Oh, that's a tough one. I would say any kind
of bunch down the first baseline. I think that's one
of those things. I've always not one sticks out to me,
but people usually bun it down the first baseline when
first baseman's back.

Speaker 1 (55:36):
Uh huh.

Speaker 2 (55:37):
Obviously I'm a bigger girl, but I feel like I
can move decent from ice sides, and so I love
when people try and butt off me and I can
get them out. I'm like, nice, try, but I can move.

Speaker 1 (55:50):
I'm a girl. They're luck. Next time you're out, babe,
sit down, try the third basement maybe. Oh, I love
that because that definitely is a mentality of like a
lefty slapper. We go up, I'm like, okay, I butt
it on first. First basement's back, the picture's not gonna
be able to get there in time. And then you
have like an athletic picture come up. It's like, dang,

(56:11):
all right, So what do I do now? I gotta
hit it. I gotta figure out.

Speaker 2 (56:15):
Watching her field. I'm like, I want to get to
that point. I'm like, she looks like your short stop
playing picture. I'm like, that's amazing. Who who you talking about?

Speaker 1 (56:24):
Alicia Cassio? Oh yeah, Ali.

Speaker 2 (56:26):
I'm like, she looks so pimped everything she does. I'm like,
she looks so athletic, she's so like chill. I'm like,
I want to get like you.

Speaker 1 (56:35):
Somebody, get there, get like that. Like. So, we play
this game of failure, and obviously, if you went towards
the first baseline, you're probably gonna fail getting on base
if you're on the mound one. But two, we just
know as athletes, failure is what ultimately gives us to success,
and throughout your career you face what one would say

(56:57):
may feel like a failure, but it's also led you
to the place we was supposed to be, led you
to be a pro player, and then led you to
being a history maker. What would you say throughout your
career is your favorite failure that's ultimately led to your
biggest successes.

Speaker 2 (57:15):
I feel like sometimes I look at my freshman year
as a failure because I remember going out there and
making every single mistake a freshman could have made. I remember,
like throwing O two counts. I would throw right down
the middle, like who in the right mind does that?
And there were so many instances like that that, like,

(57:35):
my freshman year was such a turning point for me.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
I feel like I learned so much from that, and
so I.

Speaker 2 (57:42):
Can definitely like think back to certain games, Like I
remember it was one time we were playing Arizona and I
threw an O two pitch just way too close to
the plate for an O two pitch And just because
I didn't have like that game, I was still learning
that game sense and it was one of the like
bigger games of the year for us, and we ended
up losing that game. And I remember act of the game,

(58:06):
like talking about it with Steph and she's like, you
never throw an O two pitch like that close, like
the game was on the line, and it was one
of those like learning moments. I even remind myself to
this day, and I try and like share that knowledge
with people, like whenever I see an O two count,
I'm like, please, don't throw at any ready to strict
zone pitch.

Speaker 1 (58:26):
You're like please.

Speaker 2 (58:28):
And so I think my freshman year was, like I
feel like there was a lot of failures in that sense,
just because it was such a bigger game, going from
high school ball to collegeball and learning that you can't
get away with that kind of stuff anymore. So I
feel like my freshman year I felt maybe I saw
it a little bit as a failure, but learning from

(58:50):
those mistakes and moving on from them, and also like
sharing that with like our pitchers, like right now, like,
don't make the mistakes I did, because I was in
your shoes and I was out there just throwing the
ball for fun, and it lost us a bunch of keys.

Speaker 1 (59:08):
No, I think that is a very good one, because
I mean from that freshman year of what to you
felt like a failure, I mean, look where you are now.
You don't do that anymore, and look at what that's
led to you. So without that experience their freshman year,
who's to say that your softower year wouldn't have been better,
your junior wouldn't have been better your senior year, you know,
ultimately having me able to learn from that one moment

(59:29):
that's led you to be a history maker. So I
absolutely love that, like see it. I really want to
thank you again for coming on to dropping diamonds and
dropping your own diamonds. The diamond I feel like you
really dropped today was you can do hard things through
fun and through perspective. You can do hard things. Find

(59:53):
your base, find your why. Your why is to have fun,
That's what you've always progressed through. And make sure you
keep that with you as you continue to go throughout
your career, whatever your why is, and make sure you
circle through that back and do those hard things. So
thank you all for listening today's episode. Remember success is
walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm,

(01:00:17):
or if you're talking to LEXI, you just say huh,
well that wasn't good, next one, with no loss of enthusiasm.
Remain nonchalant, keep going. Remember I may slit today that
I will never fall. I'll meet you next week on
the Diamond Bye for now. Dropping Diamonds with aj Andrews

(01:00:43):
is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Athletes
Unlimited Softball League and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. I'm
your host AJ Andrews. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz.
Tari Harrison is our supervising producer. In This episode was
mixed and mastered. I'm Mary. Do. Listen to Dropping Diamonds
with Aja Andrews on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

(01:01:06):
wherever you get your podcasts. M hmm