Anderson living out her softball dream
At the age of 13, Emma Anderson is living out her dream.
Anderson, heading into the eighth grade at Eaton Middle School, is the daughter of Akron natives Jorgen and Elena (Vigil) Anderson. While some may think her career is just getting started, Anderson said she fell in love with the game nearly 10 years ago.
“My mom has videos of me as young as three hitting balls with my dad. He always made it fun for me and I remember loving every second. Softball started as a fun, lighthearted game, but it has turned into my passion,” she said.
While Anderson has played for multiple travel ball teams, she is happy to have found her home as a Colorado Angel, playing for John Waller who is well known in the softball world.
“I love getting to play for him because he pushes me, but believes in me,” Anderson added.
On the field, Anderson can be found behind the plate or at shortstop, though she loves being catcher because she likes being the coach on the field. Life as a club ball player is no easy feat, playing 54 games already this season. Anderson is fortunate to have started at either catcher or shortstop in every single game. Currently, she is batting a .532 with 123 at bats and has an exit velocity speed of 61 mph off the bat. For defense, she has had 209 putouts with a field percentage of .949.
Her hard work has earned her spots at two elite prospect softball camps this past year: Arizona State and University of Florida.
Anderson explained, “I loved Florida because they just got done playing in the College World Series and it was almost magical getting to be at camp with the coaches and players! Go, Gators!”
In addition to practices with her club team, Anderson does weekly workouts with her catching coach, Ashlie Rowley, the founder of Colorado Softball Academy. Rowley is a past player at the University of Florida and had an amazing career in the SEC.
“I love getting to work with Ashlie, not only for the fundamentals, but her focus on mental health. Her focus with me is building confidence and developing leadership skills,” Anderson said.
The Colorado Angels have qualified for USA Softball Nationals in Corona, California and will be competing in that tournament at the end of July. Softball has taken Anderson around the country, competing in Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada, California, Virginia, Florida, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Texas.
With such an impressive career already, Anderson highlights her favorite memories as playing top teams in the country in Las Vegas with her Angel family. She especially loves getting time with her teammates and best friends between games and hanging out at tournaments.
In addition to her team’s success, Anderson was selected as a USA Softball Colorado Select All-Star for 10U in 2019, and most recently, as a 2022 USA Softball All-American. Anderson was asked to attend the All-American games in Oklahoma City this August, but will unfortunately be attending another softball opportunity the same weekend.
The sky is the limit for Anderson, with her ultimate goal to play in the Olympics or a College World Series.
“Hopefully, both!” she finished.
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