Through pregnancy and family crisis, San Jose State junior redefines athlete’s limits

Her past recreation with the Tigers was May possibly 20, 2018 her son, JaeJae, was born June 26, 2018.

“I proved myself, and I proved to myself I still acquired it,” Edwards claimed. “I even now bought it after carrying out that I literally am that girl. I am that lady that can really do everything I established my thoughts to.”

The big difference this time, however, was that Edwards was not hiding something at San Jose Point out. No a single on Missouri’s team understood what she experienced been going by four many years back, and that experienced been her intent.

“I preferred to be coached the similar way everybody else was currently being coached,” she reported. “The worst detail they say can materialize is you obtained expecting in university. And I consider that it was the most beautiful factor that could have happened mainly because the moment yet again, I would not be mentally where I am currently with out my youngster either. My son is my very best buddy.”

That set the phase for Edwards to finish her collegiate career with extra perseverance. With her son no extended a magic formula to her teammates and coaches, she was going to do what it usually takes, for softball and for family members.

Edwards, who won the athletic department’s Courage Award at the close of her very first time with the Spartans, very likely has extra repeated flier miles than anyone in university softball. A time of flying in between San Jose and Moore will do that, but “if I didn’t do all that,” she claimed, “we would have shed the loved ones small business.”

Her father, Larry, fell sick in November 2021 with COVID-19 signs and diabetes. He was in the healthcare facility for 40 days, was discharged at one particular stage, but took a flip for the even worse and died Dec. 15 at 48 yrs outdated.

A handful of months later on, Edwards hit .331 with just 10 strikeouts in 41 game titles for the Spartans, and just about every and each and every 1 of those people online games represented a option — and a sacrifice.

“I glimpse back again and there is only a decide on number of that would have ever chosen that way of living when they had a excellent chance to be again property producing no matter what money I’m making, and transferring on continuing my existence,” stated Edwards. “I’ve previously restarted my life the moment, so it was not frightening to restart my daily life, but that is just how a lot that workforce meant to me.”

Her long run had usually been softball. Edwards comes from a family members of athletes. Her sister, Tallen, just reclassified to engage in softball at Oklahoma State a yr early. Her brother, Tre, coaches baseball in Texas. The spouse and children runs Edwards Hitting, a hitting clinic that functions with about 60 youngsters a 7 days.

She was a top-200 prospect out of substantial university and experienced won a condition title in Oklahoma in 2013. As a freshman, she was fifth on Missouri’s roster in dwelling operates with 5 and hit .245 as the main catcher.

But when she was succeeding, Edwards was hiding one thing from every person.

“I did not really feel snug chatting to anybody, simply because I believed I’d be kicked off that staff or that any individual wouldn’t think it was fantastic adequate any longer,” she reported. “I understood that if I labored really hard at it, I’d be good at it for somebody and so when I went to Texas Tech, which is what I was striving to demonstrate, which is when I proved my position.”

She transferred to Texas Tech for her sophomore season, and Edwards didn’t tell her coaches or teammates she had a kid. She didn’t want to be taken care of in another way.

There, as a sophomore, Edwards hit .357 whilst posting a crew-higher 14 home operates and had the fifth highest slugging proportion in team background.

“For her to truly feel like she experienced to cover a child, that is a really challenging alternative,” claimed Leticia Olivarez, the Spartans assistant coach who recruited Edwards, and also coached her at Texas Tech. “I think that’s hard on anybody. That is a little something that we as coaches can do a much better job in letting these athletes expand and be them.”

Edwards’ son stayed with her dad and mom — when questioned, they would say he was the child of her dad’s brother — until Edwards left softball at the conclusion of the year.

She wasn’t planning on coming again actively playing expecting experienced taken its toll on her, as did returning to softball actions six weeks after providing birth.

When that year ended, Edwards was burned out. She did what she intended to do and had a career year in the Huge 12. She stayed household to aid operate the organization, assistance her sister’s softball occupation, and raise her son.