Former LSU Star Is Trying To Make A Difference For Professional Softball
“Dare to dream big. Big dreams break barriers and big dreams can make history.”
That’s the belief of AJ Andrews which she has embodied wholly for her entire life. The model, broadcaster, and former All-American softball player for LSU reaches for the stars as she tries to make a difference in the world of women’s professional softball.
“Regardless of how disrespected we are or how little recognition we receive, we are still going to be breaking boundaries and pushing doors open,” Andrews said in an interview with Softball America. “At the end of the day, without women in sports using their voices, being loud about their success and taking up space, young girls won’t have the encouragement they will need to feel like they can do the same.”
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AJ Andrews became an instant role model for softball players everywhere when she became the first female player to be awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove for her defensive prowess playing for the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch League.
“Just the fact that Rawlings really supports women’s sports and supports softball, it speaks volumes,” Andrews toldMLB.com. “The significance is immeasurable, honestly. Just the strides softball is taking in getting acknowledgment and recognition, I’m incredibly humbled.”
Andrews is using her background in softball as a springboard to a successful broadcasting career. As part of ESPN’s Black History Month celebration in 2019, Andrews hosted, “Unapologetic: The Black Female Athlete.”
“I think being able to really showcase that there is a lot of black talent in the world – in softball – and these people have to truly embrace that and realize that certain sports are not for certain people,” Andrews told the LSU Reveille. “For me in softball, to see the growth that we’ve had is really amazing.”
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