Abigail Perry '21 Recruiting Profile

I have been a coach’s daughter my entire life. That position brings on a different level of criticism from parents and players. Many times the kid gets the reputation of “less than” or that their “spot wasn't earned” but if only those parents and players truly understood that it’s much more difficult because the bar is set that much higher. That being said, I have always been motivated by the negative comments towards me and the fact that I am a coach’s kid. I have always been motivated to prove them wrong and show them that I made this team because of my skills and not because my dad is a coach. I am not one who likes to make mistakes, but no one truly likes to make mistakes. I listen to the critiques my coaches give me, and then strive to make myself that much better. 

One thing that sets me apart from most softball players is that I can play mainly any position. My main positions are catching and the corner positions but if needed, I can be put anywhere. I understand that each position has its own difficulties and I try to incorporate that into my playing time, each game. Many people don’t understand the difficulties of being a multi-position softball player, but you have to learn the roles and you have to understand the different plays, from every position. That means you have more work to focus on and more things to work on. It can be difficult to play more than 1 position, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Academically, I was on the honor roll all throughout middle school, I have been on the National Honors Society at my school so far throughout high school and I plan to graduate with honors. School has always come easy to me, it's been my thing. As I have gotten older, I realized that grades become more important to you as you grow up. Your grades in high school determine your GPA and your GPA can sometimes determine what college you go to. I have always strived to be the best at what I am doing, but junior year is a lot harder than I expected it to be. You have to work ten times harder than you did in the past, because this year is your make or break year. As terrifying as that sounds, it is also very inspiring. It pushes me to work the hardest I can so that I know I can accomplish what I plan on accomplishing. 

Having high grades will be extremely important in order for me to reach the ultimate career goal that I have, which is to become a special education teacher. I have always loved working with those kids and in high school, it has become clear that it is a passion of mine. Throughout middle school, I was involved in the LINKS program. This program is where I am paired up with a student who has special needs and we help them in class (1:1 ratio) with their social and emotional behavior. As I got into high school, I learned about the Unified Sports program. This program is where you take a gym class with kids who have special needs. This class has never put me in more of my element. I feel right at home with those kids, they know exactly what you need, even if you don’t. My love for those kids has gone back as far as I can remember, my neighbor was diagnosed with Down Syndrome when he was born. Growing up next door to him, really put my life into perspective. I saw the struggles of his parents and I always wanted to help. Being a special education teacher gives me the opportunity to help families like his with any of their needs, or just by helping their child while he or she is at school. 

My heart has been set on many things in life, but playing college softball has been the number 1 priority. I love this sport with my whole heart, and I love the rush of winning and game with my absolute best friends. Along with that there is also the pain and hurt of losing a game, but in my life, there is nothing else I would rather do than go through those ups and downs of playing the game I fell in love with when I was only 4 years old. Thank you for taking the time to read about my personal goals and I hope you read something that intrigued you to take a deeper look at me.