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Hard to believe–unless you’ve been a club parent travelling 10,000 miles with your athlete across the country attending showcases and nationals!–but the softball summer is officially over and in many parts of the country school has resumed or will be starting the 2018-19 year soon.
Although it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye, there was a ton that went on at all levels and of the hundreds of stories we covered in June, July, and August, here are the ones that stuck with us with reasons why and related articles touching on the subject, issue, or situation.
Do you have others that should be on this list, in your opinion? Tell us if we’re right or wrong.
Write us at [email protected] and share what you think was impactful and why.
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The Passing of Alex Wilcox
In a community as large of the softball one, which encompasses the youth world up through international play, there are going to be accidents, illnesses, and premature deaths that sadden us all. But rare is the impact that the death of Mississippi State softball player Alex Wilcox had on the softball world.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 15 when she was tearing up the Alabama high school scene and was considered (by us) as the top two-way player in her class while pitching and hitting with the Birmingham Thunderbolts, Alex succumbed to the cancer in June at the age of 18 and it’s not a stretch to say that thousands in the sport were impacted.
A light on and off the field, Alex was courageous in her battle against cancer and inspired everyone who knew her story, just as Cal State Fullerton’s Taylor Dockins has done in her ongoing battle against liver cancer, which was diagnosed in the summer of 2017.
Alex didn’t win this battle, but hopefully her example will help others win the war against the cancer. Her story has galvanized the softball community to raise money for the cause. Just last week, three Georgia club teams who raised over $4,000 at their tryouts and, in Alex’s memory, a softball tournament will begin next year called the Alex Wilcox Classic.
