It’s National Family Day today and this story of the loving relationship between a softball father and his talented daughter will warm your heart and, hopefully, make you appreciate your own family… in whatever form that may take!
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This last year has been challenging for uncommitted 2024 pitcher, infielder and outfielder Lindsay Ferguson, who was recently honored as being a Top 350 player in the Extra Elite rankings.
In February 2022, just before high school season began, Lindsay’s father, Greg, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer that was in multiple areas of his body including his bones and spleen.
The prognosis was good, but it was still scary.
“I was really happy that I had high school softball to keep me busy,” Lindsay recalls, “because it kept my mind off of what was happening with my Dad.”
This was Lindsay’s first full season of high school softball at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Wash., as the year prior was shortened to six weeks do the pandemic, two of which she had to sit out because of a COVID exposure at school.
In addition to dealing with her dad’s illness, Lindsay realized she wouldn’t be pitching during the high school season because there were three senior pitchers on the team that all played competitive travel ball, including one of her travel ball teammates on their Washington Voodoo – Rhinehart team.
The athlete’s father made it to every high school game during chemotherapy, and he was there to see her very first high school home run.
“Sometimes I would go straight from chemo to her game,” Greg says. “I’m sure it was hard for her to see me sitting alone in the outfield, especially at away games, but I wanted her to know I was there to support her.”
It didn’t go unnoticed by the high school softball standout.
“I knew he was there cheering us on, and I loved having him there,” Lindsay continues. “Although sometimes he’d tease me when I was in the outfield trying to make me laugh.”
Eastlake lost in the district playoffs to Redmond High, the eventual state champion, in extra innings after just beating the conference champions and knocking them out of the state playoffs.
“Our conference was so strong with such great pitching that the top teams were beating each other all season and during the playoffs,” the athlete says. “Anyone had a chance to make it and win state.”
Once high school season ended, Lindsay participated in Relay for Life which is a fundraiser dedicated to saving lives from cancer.
“My Dad’s cancer made me realize there are things more important than softball. A lot of people struggle with cancer, and I wanted to help any way that I could.”
In June, the focus went back to travel ball. Her dad made the decision to stay home all summer because of his weakened immune system and conflicts with chemotherapy appointments.
“My dad didn’t come to every tournament,” Lindsay explains, “but in the past, he was always there for the week-long tournaments like Boulder IDT and PGF. It was hard not having him there, but I know he watched every game on YouTube.”
Despite not being there in person due to the chemotherapy, the treatments did their job.
“We just got word last week that the treatment worked,” the ecstatic daughter reveals, “and the cancer is gone.”
Lindsay’s club coach, Clint Rhinehart, offered her a spot on the team when she was just 14 years old and softball has become a way that her self-esteem has grown as her skills have developed.
“Coach Clint told me that I would get a few innings, and the older players would be there to bail me out when I got in trouble,” an appreciate Lindsay remembers. “The older pitchers were struggling during the season, so I got to pitch a lot more than I thought I would, and I started to do well. That gave me a lot of confidence going into that summer.”
Coach Clint added:
“One of Lindsay’s assets is how hard she will compete and fight for it. This kid gets outs and competes. It’s hard to find that in a player.”
Coach Rhinehart started coaching when his daughters began playing fastpitch and has been coaching for over 15 years including eight at the 18U level.
Since 2017, over 30 players he has developed have played at the collegiate level, including his three daughters, all DI pitchers: Taylor, who played for Villanova, Siena and Robert Morris; Lauryn, who played for Fairfield, and Rachael, who currently plays at Robert Morris.
“I want to make a difference in these young ladies and their futures,” Coach Rhinehart stresses. “That’s the biggest reason why I coach. My goal is to get them to believe in themselves, build confidence, and not make mistakes. Then I can push them, and they can let go and push themselves to places they never thought they could go. We also respect the players and the game. Our team is unique in what we’ve been able to accomplish.”
Lindsay is also a fan.
“I love playing for Clint,” she begins. “He has believed in me from the beginning and has my back when things are not going well. I’m so grateful he took a chance on me two years ago. Since then, I’ve been able to play against some of the best teams in the country and I wouldn’t have gotten that opportunity with another team. Coach has also been helping me as I’m going through the recruiting process. He has so many connections and great advice.”
This will be Lindsay’s third year on the Washington Voodoo – Rhinehart team, which is based out of Woodinville, Wash., and she says her recruiting is going well and that she has talked to some of her top schools on September 1st.
The two-way player has a trip set up for November to Robert Morris Univ. and several other West-based DI programs are in regular contact.
Some of the accomplishments that stand out most to Lindsay include her pitching a complete seven-inning game against Firecrackers Brashear in 2021 at Triple Crown Nationals.
“I only gave up one hit,” the athlete recalls. “I didn’t even know how good they were until my mom showed me their team sheet after the game. I think all but two or three players were committed to Power 5 schools.”
This summer at Triple Crown Nationals, Lindsay had a great relief outing against a strong Batbusters – Gomes team as she entered the game in relief, pitched four shut-out innings with zero walks and had seven strikeouts.
“I’m also proud of how well our team did at PGF Nationals this year,” she continues. “I pitched my best of the season winning three games. In our first bracket game, we were down by two runs because of an error, and I just kept throwing hard trying to keep the team in the game. We ended up coming from behind and winning the game. The defense really had my back in that game.”
And now, with the positive diagnosis for her father’s cancer taking a huge load off her shoulders, Lindsay—who is a self-confessed and “obsessed” Chick-fil-A food fan as well as a frequent visitor to the Crumbl Cookies bakery—can now turn her full attention to competing between the lines… hopefully, with dad in the stands cheering her on as his work and health allows.
The fall calendar is packed with trips across the country, including the East Coast Showcase in Pennsville, N.J., the Top Gun Grand Canyon Classic in Mesa, Ariz., and the PGF Surf City Early Thanksgiving Showcase in Southern California.
And with happier days ahead—including victorious pitching and hitting performances on the fields for the junior standout athlete—it looks like more trips to Chick-fil-a and Crumbl Cookies will be happening down the road, especially with Lindsay’s parents along for the ride.
“My Dad loves cookies,” the supportive daughter concludes, “and I always get him one, too.”
