The Reality of Mom Life as a Softball Player

Photo courtesy Jade Hewitt Media 

Women still often hear that they must choose a career or a family, especially as athletes. It’s challenging enough for most softball players to leave loved ones and fur babies behind for professional or international seasons, but what about those athletes who are raising children? Is it possible to balance growing, birthing, and raising a human being, training for peak performance, and the ability to push mom guilt aside long enough to perform on the field? Where better to turn than to the wonder women who do it to show us that athletes can have both a career and a family.

The list of softball players who have done it, or do it, is growing. We think of softball names like Stacey Nuveman, Danielle Lawrie and Lauren Bay who somehow managed training for (and performing in) an Olympic Games with one, two and three children, respectively. Courtney Gano recently retired after experiencing motherhood as a professional athlete with Athletes Unlimited. The 2023 collegiate season saw Madison Preston step into the circle at Texas A&M after taking time off to become a mother. Kelsey Stewart is set to enter her second professional season with Athletes Unlimited as a mother; it will be her fourth season in the league. It is possible.

Possibility does not equal ease. When asked what was challenging, here’s what Stewart had to say.

“The most challenging part for me has just been the time you spend away from your kid. You go from every minute with them to taking a few hours off, or days now that I’m coaching, and that’s probably the hardest part.”

Preston added her thoughts on self expectations and the trap of comparing her postpartum self to previous peak performance.

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