If you follow softball at most any level—be it international, college, club and/or high school—you’re probably familiar with the Leach family.
Parents Todd and Kaye are the appropriately proud parents of four wonderfully talented and accomplished daughters who have done so much in the sport of fastpitch, especially this year:
* Eldest Aubrey, a former Tennessee Vols All-American, plays for Team USA and was recently voted as MVP of the Pan American Women’s Championship series which the Red, White & Blue won in undefeated fashion. Aubrey is in her second year of law school at her alma mater and she’s also brought in a soon-to-be new member of the family—her fiancé, Zach Gartner—who is officially in his second season as a Graduate Assistant for Tennessee Softball.
* Second oldest Kelcy started off her softball career at Texas Tech before transferring to play for the Univ. of Tennessee and concluded her college career last spring by being named as an All-SEC 2nd Team honoree. She recently got a full-time job in realty and, by all accounts, is a standout in that field as well!
* High school twin seniors Alannah and Gabby, who will also play at Tennessee, were ranked this month as Top 15 players in the 2023 Extra Elite 100 rankings produced by Extra Inning Softball and both also were Top 5 in the Outfield (Position) Rankings.
Extra Inning Softball’s Brentt Eads caught up with this totally softball-immersed family from Texas to see what their thoughts are this Thanksgiving holiday and to see what blessings they treasure most as a family and in the sport for which they’ve done so much…
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Extra Inning Softball: Wow, what a year you all have had! On this day of giving thanks, what are you grateful for at this point in time and in your lives both individually and as part of your amazing family?
Todd: I am truly thankful for our health and well-being, and that our faith keeps us focused on family and not the minutiae of life. I am also grateful for the individuals past and present who sacrificed to keep us safe, so we may freely pursue the things we love to do.
Kaye: I feel very fortunate to have all our extended family relatively close in proximity, each holiday season. We do value time at home since travel ball life takes us away so much. I am thankful for God’s grace, love, and mercy He has bestowed on my life and family.
Aubrey: We are grateful to be together, Zach and me. Though we aren’t with the entire Leach family today, we are able to spend Thanksgiving with close friends and their welcoming family. It’s our fourth year going to Gregg Farms for Thanksgiving with my former Tennessee teammate Meghan Gregg Penland. Individually, we did our time long distance and are thankful for the opportunity to be together. As a family we are always appreciative of the time we get to spend together and the calls to one another on holidays.
Kelcy: I’m grateful to be around friends and family this holiday season and to be fortunate enough to have a wonderful meal to share with the people I love.
Alannah: I am grateful for all the amazing people in my life who have been there for me these past few months, as I am recovering from my surgery. They have always made me feel loved and important. I am thankful I get to spend this Thanksgiving with them.Gabby: I have been so grateful for my family and friends that I can always count on and that have always been so supportive. I’m thankful this Thanksgiving that I too get spend it with the people I love.
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FATHER FIGURE
EIS: Todd or “Dad”… let’s start with you and your impressive family background. Talk about your parents and others and how softball/sports was a key factor in their lives…
Todd: I grew up in a very athletic family and sports was interwoven into everyday life with multiple types of sports and competitions being a year-round itinerary for all the members of our family.
My father, Lynn Leach, was a Men’s Major Fastpitch pitcher for two-plus years and, at one point, held an ASA record for recording 20 strikeouts out of 21 outs in Burlingame, Calif. in 1972.
During the summers, we all would jump in the motorhome and drive to different tournaments around the country that my dad played in, and I can remember how fast the game was and how much fun they were having playing the game.
Getting to see all those great pitchers and players, they were all larger than life to me. When he retired from playing the game, my dad began coaching softball and passed on all his experiences and knowledge to myself and younger players who loved the game as much as he did.
My father coached until his passing at the age of 82.
I knew my mother, Wilma Ann (Williams) Leach, was athletic, but I didn’t realize until I was older just how athletic she was. Growing up she played golf, tennis, bowling, and played in a women’s fastpitch league for multiple years; I just thought everyone’s mother was athletic and played sports!
We would play catch with a baseball and a football and she taught me how to play tennis so if my dad or brother wasn’t home at the time, she did not have a problem working with me and pushing me to get better in whatever sport I was working on.
As I got older, I started looking at some of her articles and awards and asked her about her experiences playing professionally in the AAGBL for the Rockford Peaches, and began to realize just how talented she really was.
My mom grew up in a small town in South Central Missouri and athletics was everything to the families and community. In the early 1950’s, Missouri schools were not divided into classes by size, so the small schools competed with the bigger schools in the larger towns and cities, but her high school volleyball team was undefeated for all four years my mother played.
A large article was written in the St. Louis Post Dispatch about that team and my mother, which was unheard of a small-town team making the St. Louis paper. She also was on the high school softball team and they were nearly undefeated for the four years she played; but it was during her senior year that one of her teachers said to her that she needed to go tryout for this Professional Baseball League and they were holding tryouts in Chicago.
My mother told me that she got her parent’s permission to go tryout and her brother drove her to Chicago for the tryout, at the tryouts she was selected by the Rockford Peaches to join the team. My mother returned home for a few weeks to graduate high school and then she moved to Rockford, Illinois to begin her professional baseball career in the AAGBL. It wasn’t until I had my own kids that I truly realized how athletic and special she was.
Growing up I had an older sister and brother who were tremendously athletic and talented, I looked up to them on a daily basis. My sister Lori Leach – Eckenrode was a multi-sport athlete that excelled in volleyball and went on to play D1 volleyball at Arkansas State University. Lori passed on her athleticism to her children, two daughters that played D1 volleyball (Wichita St. & Missouri), and a son that played D2 football and professionally in Europe.
My brother, Greg Leach, was probably the most naturally gifted athlete of the siblings and everything just came easy to him. I looked up to him and he set the bar high for me to follow.
Greg was unfortunately killed in a car wreck his freshman year playing football at Western Kentucky University.
EIS: Softball has obviously been huge for your family… describe how grateful you are for the sport and the experiences it’s allowed you all to enjoy together?
Todd: Kaye and I have been truly blessed in the fact all four of our girls choose the same sport to play growing up, which has brought them closer to each other more than we could have imagined or hoped for. They share all their successes and all their failures with each other which in turn has helped them grow as a player and more importantly as a human being.
It would be tough to convey as parents, how fortunate we are, that all our children communicate with each other as much as they do. I can’t say they are all pleasant conversations, but the majority are and the fact they are having verbal communications instead of digital ones is a life skill they all have to learn.
EIS: It must be bittersweet in the sense your mom, father and brother aren’t here now to enjoy the success of your family… has them not being here given you a different perspective on enjoying/appreciating your daughters’ wonderful accomplishments?
Todd: It is one of my biggest sorrows in life that my mother, father, and brother had passed away before they got to see the girls play the game that we all love. I know they would be so proud in the fact that their talents and legacy has been successful passed down through the generations.
The loss of a sibling and both parents helped me understand just how precious and short life really is. We try to teach our girls not to take anything for granted, be humble, work hard, and enjoy as much time with family and friends as possible.
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MOMMA KIN
EIS: Kaye (“Mom”)… When you look back on all that your daughters have done, on and off the softball field, what are you most proud of?
Kaye: I am very proud when I hear from others about my girls’ character or their influence on others, whether it be daily friendships or on the softball field. Every parent love hearing positive feedback on what others think of their kiddos! Our goal, all along, has been to raise our girls to be ready for the next step in their lives…ultimately adulthood.
EIS: How excited (and proud) are you that your oldest is finishing law school, your second just started a great job and the youngest are about to enter college?
Kaye: So many changes to our family dynamic are going to be happening in the next five years! I am very excited to see what the future holds for all of them and we are so ready to have the time to experience it all together; since the eight-year age gap (of the girls) kept us divided up in years past.
EIS: What advice would you give to other sports moms concerning what’s helped our family and you as a parent enjoy the journey?
Kaye The life lessons and character-building aspects of team sports always resonated with our family. Finding the balance for kids to grow mentally. spiritually and physically has to be intentional by the parents.
Don’t forget to just enjoy the time together, knowing your kids are healthy and playing a game they love. We are so thankful to all the many great families who spent many weekends with us. What a journey with some incredible people who have all helped raise our girls! 🙂
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THE OLDEST SIBLING
EIS: Aubrey, we turn to you… and what a year for you! The Pan American Games experience has to go down as one of the most thrilling softball experiences in your life… can you talk about that and a highlight or two that comes to mind from the last week?
Aubrey: This was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life! I am so incredibly honored to have been given the opportunity to compete for my country and represent my sport on the international stage.
A highlight and one of the greatest things about this opportunity was wearing “USA” on my chest while standing on the field and hearing the National Anthem for the first time. I think that’s when it became real, that my dream to be on the USA Women’s National Team was coming true!
Hitting a home run in my first game wearing the jersey was one of the neatest experiences, also; it was icing on the cake and winning MVP was the cherry on top! More than I could ever have imagined.
EIS: Also, your law school is finishing up soon… how appreciative were you that you were able to be gone for 10 days to go play for Team USA and the professors worked with you on making it happen?
Aubrey: Honestly, I was ready to be told no by my professors when I met with them to ask if I could miss a whole week and a half in the middle of the semester. And each and every professor told me “Go!”
They all were so willing to work with me and do whatever it took to help me out. I can’t thank them enough for helping me make it work!
EIS: Another minor detail to your 2022 year (joking…) is that you got engaged! Congratulations and talk about how you and Zach met, how you fell in love, when and how you got engaged and when the big wedding day will take place?
Aubrey: We met in high school and started dating our junior year. He was on the baseball team and I was on the softball team so we had sports in common. We did long distance, while Zach played college baseball at East Texas Baptist University, and I was at Tennessee.
My family has been taking a beach trip during the summer for the past few years and he proposed to me on the beach at sunset. I was totally unaware thinking we were just on a family vacation! He did such a great job keeping it a secret from me, I am usually pretty good at ruining surprises!
We have not set a date yet. I would like to finish law school first in order to plan it correctly and not rust our big day!
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MARRYING INTO THE FAMILY
EIS: OK, Zach, let’s hear about your background, how you got associated with the Univ. of Tennessee and what you’re doing now…
Zach: I have played baseball my whole life. And got the opportunity to play college baseball at East Texas Baptist University. While there I learned so many valuable lessons from my head coach (Jared Hood). I believe learning from him and watching how he went about coaching is what made me want to become a coach as my career.
I now have the opportunity to be a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee with the softball team.
EIS: Coming in “from the outside,” what are your thoughts about the Leach family, softball and non-softball wise?”
Zach: Mr. Todd and Mrs. Kaye have been everything and more that I can ask for in “future” in-laws. They have let me into their family with open arms and I couldn’t be more thankful.
When I think about the Leach family, I think about a very competitive but loving family. There is not a day that goes by without a little bit of a scuffle because of how competitive they are.
I think that is a big reason to how successful the girls have been in softball. They all try and learn from each other on a daily basis. It’s funny to say but I know Aubrey has also learned from the twins.
EIS: You’re marrying into this accomplished family… what are you grateful for in your life, especially when it comes to your bride-to-be and all that Aubrey and her family bring into your world now?
Zach: The best quality I see when I am around Aubrey is how hard of a worker she is. As a lot of people know, she is in law school and still pursuing her passion for playing softball. She is someone who makes everyone around her better because she has a never lose, always learn attitude. When I talk about Aubrey to other people I always say: “Everyone around her knows she can do it, so at this point she is just proving it to herself!”
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THE “MIDDLE CHILD”
EIS: Kelcy… you were able to graduate from Texas Tech in December and then play your final year of college ball at Tennessee. What did accomplishing all of those mean to you?
Kelcy: I was able to learn and grow as a person so much at Texas Tech and it meant a lot for me to graduate from the school that I had chosen at the beginning of my college career. Playing at Tennessee for my last year allowed me to be pushed again, both mentally and physically. The staff helped me tremendously in the short amount of time I was there. I can’t be more grateful for the opportunities I was given and how my career was able to end.
EIS: What has it been like being the “middle child” (so to speak) when it comes to softball in your family?
Kelcy: Being a middle child (so to speak) in a softball family has been the most amazing experience. On one hand, I’m able to learn from Aubrey and her knowledge of the game. She has always been one of my biggest competitors but is also one of my biggest supporters. On the other hand, I have been able to help in the twin’s growth as players and athletes. I feel like I truly get the best of both worlds.
EIS: Talk about your new job and how that’s going (Dad says you’re doing great!)…
Kelcy: My new job is going very well! I’m the Marketing Director at Mike Seder’s ReMax office in The Woodlands, Texas. I believe I’m surrounded by genuine, competitive, caring people that I am able to learn so much from.
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THE YOUNG’UNS
EIS: And last, but certainly not least, we turn to the twins, Alannah and Gabby… What was it like being raised in the family with two older sisters who were so accomplished in softball?
Alannah & Gabby: Growing up all we knew was softball so both our sisters have been huge role models on and off the field.
With all their accomplishments and experiences, we have benefited greatly to have a literal sideline view of it all. We feel very fortunate to have their support, as we go to the next level.
EIS: Half joking, half serious on this next question… was there ever the option to not go to Tennessee and follow in your sisters’ accomplished footsteps?
Alannah & Gabby: Yes, we considered other schools and also if we wanted to follow the paths both our sisters took as options. Once we knew we wanted to go to college together, we both started to think about what that next chapter of our lives would look like. After going to Tennessee so many times, it truly felt like home and we knew that UT was the place for us for many reasons.
EIS: You just signed with Tennessee and have wonderful days ahead … what are your thoughts as you finish up your prep/club careers and high school days and move to the college experience?
Alannah & Gabby: We are definitely going to be sad as our days in high school are coming to an end, and saying goodbye to all the friendships we have made. But playing at the next level has always been a dream of ours and we know Tennessee will definitely live up to the expectations and provide even more lifelong relationships and a great education.
