RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Monday is a big day for multiple reasons in the family of Eric and Nicole Wolfe.
The 2023 Extra Elite 100 rankings kick off Monday with three weeks of coverage and for Ashley Wolfe, a sophomore at Preble Hornet High in Green Bay, Wisconsin, it will be a chance to move up from her #97 ranking from last year (spoiler alert: she will).
But there’s bigger things on the mind of this talented middle infielder who plays for the Iowa Premier 16U National Gold team led by Greg Dickel.
On Monday, Ashley turns Sweet Sixteen and will enjoy her special occasion while wishing for the gift she most wants: for her mom to beat cancer as Nicole will go through extensive surgery.
The softball field is a refuge from the worries the versatile athlete has for her mother: Ashley moves to the 16U National team after leading off for Iowa Premier’s 14U squad last year which won the 2020 World Fastpitch Championship. The super soph is called by Coach Dickel as “one of the bright young talents in the Midwest.”
In this exclusive Inside Pitch blog for Extra Inning Softball, Ashley writes about what she’s thinking as she hits a pivotal time not just in her softball career, but in her life.
In her mom’s battle against cancer, we can all agree on one thing: we’re on the same side and rooting for the athlete’s mother to win!
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At the start of the Spring season, my mom went to the doctor for a regular annual check-up, and, soon after, we learned that one of her tests came back abnormal.
This meant she would need a follow-up appointment to determine if everything was OK. At that time, it never occurred to me that anything life-threatening would be challenging our family.
However, I started noticing that my Mom and Dad were going to more doctor appointments as the days and weeks passed. It was when my Dad came home unexpectedly during the workday that I started to realize something more serious might be going on.
That night during dinner, my Mom and Dad told my sister Hillary and me that they had news to share. It was then that I first learned my mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
After dinner, I went upstairs to my room to try and wrap my head around everything I just heard. There may have been a few tears shed with no one looking because my Mom and I were about to leave for a tournament in Oklahoma City with my Iowa Premier team.
We drove around in a lime green Mustang convertible because it was the only car left on the lot after flying in so late and we made the most of it as only two girls from Wisconsin would—driving with the top down when it’s 50 degrees outside!
But it made going to the games so much fun!
My Iowa Premiere team even brought home a championship victory that Sunday night! There was so much to celebrate, and yet, no one had any idea what my Mom was dealing with quietly inside except us and Coach Dickel.
He gave me a big hug that day with a few words of encouragement. To be honest ,it was very hard to focus and play at my potential that tourney.
There were so many emotions and so many unknowns.
After coming home from OKC, my mom was schedule for a surgical procedure to biopsy the extent and stage of her cancer. We called this “Game 1” of the tournament.
As we all anxiously waited for those results, I determined it was important and necessary to continue focusing on my softball practices and training. Like any other Tuesday, my Dad picked me up from high school practice and took me to the ETS Training Center for two hours to work on speed and strength.
It was during this car ride that Dad had another serious conversation with me saying Mom should get the results from her procedure by Wednesday. However, he wanted me to be prepared for all of the possible outcomes.
My dad also told me Mom’s cells were reproducing at 80 percent, and that’s really fast. He assured me that we probably caught this early, so it’s a good thing mom went to her annual check-up and didn’t cancel it like so many people do when they are otherwise healthy and feeling good.
During our conversation, I started getting upset and worried about the news so Dad gave me the option to skip workouts that night, but I told him Mom wouldn’t want that. She still wants me to work hard for the game I love most.
I’m not going to lie—the workout that night was tough on me physically and emotionally, but I knew I had to do it for my family and my teams.
We are still in the middle of this journey, but are also very hopeful to have caught the cancer early. My mom is scheduled for a total hysterectomy on Monday (May 3, which is also my 16th birthday).
If the surgery, and all pathology, comes back with news that the cancer hasn’t spread, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and start rounding the bases to home plate.
In the meantime, I am doing school virtually and will be home to help my family around the house while my mom is recovering (in between practices and games of course).
My Mom is strong-willed and hardworking; I would not be where I am today without her by my side—on my good and bad days, every step of the way.
Now I’m promising my Mom that I will be there for her every step of the way through this difficult journey we’re on.
Thank you for being my Mom and stepping up to the plate! This is one ball game we will not lose!
— Ashley Wolfe, Class of 2023, Iowa Premier 16U Gold