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You have to hope that the beginning of the New Year goes better for 2024 Extra Elite 100 pitcher Anistyn Foster, her sister Sydney and the rest of their family in Bullard, Texas after the two sisters were dinged up in a scary car accident on Wednesday.
Anistyn suffered a fractured wrist and some other minor injuries, but fortunately the siblings came out much better than their car did.
As the All-State pitcher noted on her Twitter page, it could have been a lot worse:
As many of you know, my sister @SydFoster23 and I were in a head on collision yesterday after a truck crossed into our lane. By God’s grace, we walked away with only broken bones, lacerations, & bruises. Thank you for the calls, texts, & kind messages.
I will be back! I promise! pic.twitter.com/a9ivVTHqqg— Anistyn Foster | 2024| RHP (@AnistynFoster23) December 30, 2022
“Regarding my injuries,” the 5-foot-11 hurler told Extra Inning Softball this morning, “my right wrist is broken, but nothing like my sister’s. I have a giant laceration on my foot from where the brake cut through my skin when I was trying to slam on the brakes. Other than that, I have a lot of bruises but that is all, though. Sydney and I ended up having matching broken wrists (my right and her left).”
Here’s how the accident happened in Anistyn’s own words:
“My sister and I were headed to Oxford, Mississippi (she is a senior at Ole Miss) to celebrate the New Year. She is such an amazing sister and always includes me, even though I am five years younger than her!”
“Anyway, we were just a little ways outside of Tyler, Texas, on a straight stretch. Part of the road does have passing lanes, but the truck was on the inside lane. He was driving straight and out of nowhere he shifted into our lane. There was no time to react. I was driving and Syd was in the passenger’s seat.”
“I remember my right hand was on top of the steering wheel and Syd’s reaction time was even faster than mine. She reached with her left hand to grab the wheel and try to help us avoid impact. That’s probably another reason we survived.”
“The next thing I knew, I felt the impact of the truck on us, there was a bright light and we were spinning. When we stopped spinning, I just remember screaming and praying—especially when I saw my wrist. I blacked out for a few seconds.”
“My sister’s left wrist was broken badly (it was sideways) and she was worried about getting me out of the car and helping me instead of worrying about her arm. I was trapped in the car and the paramedics had to pull me out through the back. There were so many kind people who stopped to help us until the ambulance and police got there. I wish I knew their names so I could thank them.”
A standout in the junior class, Anistyn was ranked as the #76 pitcher in the 2024 Extra Elite 100 and the #47 overall pitcher. Here’s the bio written on her when the ratings were released in August of 2022:
T-76—Anistyn Foster, P, Centex Buzz
Anistyn’s work habits have drawn praise as “she expects only the best from herself and works tirelessly in her pursuit of greatness,” according to her club coach Trey Holdbrook, who adds: “She will work on even the smallest of details as she truly loves the process and the art of getting a little better every day.” The Texan who won 18 games this year with a 0.94 ERA and had 232 K’s with nine no-hitters and a perfect game, was named All-State for her success at Bullard (Texas) High. She was also named as the All-East Texas Pitcher of the Year after leading her team to the state semi’s. Anistyn shined in the club spotlight as well, talking the Buzz to top finishes in Super Cup Stage 1 & 2, the TFL Championships, Sparkler Power Pool, and Top Club Nationals this summer. Additionally, she has a 4.64 GPA.
Coach Holdbrook, her 18U coach, was understandably shaken when he heard the news of the accident.
“When the word came that Anistyn and Sydney were in a bad wreck came out, I felt sick,” he told Extra Inning Softball today. “That call Wednesday was the worst call you can imagine getting. All of these kids are like my own and things like this truly make you see that life is so much bigger than softball.”
This fall, according to Coach Holdbrook, the pitcher continued to impress and has been busy “looking at schools this winter and trying to finalize her future home.”
With major interest from all over the country, Anistyn has narrowed her list down to two Power 5 schools in-state in Texas Tech and Baylor, one out of state in Kentucky and a private DI Christian program closer to home in Incarnate Word, according to her coach.
“Her Christian values are very important to her,” Coach Holdbrook continues, “so that’s always been a big part in the decision process for her.
When not busy dominating on the softball fields, Anistyn is often found volunteering with East Texas Outreach which serves the needy and elderly as well as participating in mission work both local and abroad and working with the Flint Baptist Youth Praise Team.
Her abilities on the mound have earned her All-State honors as well as All East Texas Pitcher of the Year and District Pitcher of the Year honors. Throwing in the low-to-mid-60’s, Anistyn earlier this year impressed one former Olympian and current college coach who noted:
“Wow, her size at that age with the ability to be so smooth and have that kind of body control is outstanding.”
Not only does she throw hard, the current junior mixes in a nasty breaking ball too.
“Anistyn has hit speeds up to 64 mph,” adds Holdbrook, “but her most impressive skill is her ability to spin it with an amazing late break on her pitches and the accuracy to place the ball wherever she wants.”
And her work habits are big-time as well, per her coach.
“Anistyn expects only the best from herself and works tirelessly in her pursuit of greatness! She will work on even the smallest of details and truly loves the process and the art of getting a little better every day!”
Those work habits and training will have to be altered a bit with this week’s incident, but in the big picture all concerned are happy it wasn’t worse. And the softball standout is finding the good in what could have been a horrifically bad outcome.
“I am smiling because of the unbelievable amount of love my small-town community and my softball families (high school and select) have shown me,” Anistyn stressed, “and especially because I am alive. I know that God protected us.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” the junior continued, “I am heartbroken over my wrist and, and if I wanted to dwell on that– could probably get really sad–but I know that God is always on time. He has a plan for me and my sister and that is why I am alive. I know it will take some time to rehab my wrist, but I haven’t worked since I was seven-years-old to give up because of this setback.”
Her club coach agreed there was divine intervention in the Foster sisters’ lives this week.
“The Lord definitely was looking out for them,” Coach Holdbrook concluded.
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball