LEWISBURG (WVDN) – Josi Ervin knows hard work and dedication.
The Greenbrier East senior-to-be just enjoyed a great junior year in which she excelled in volleyball, and also had a second team all-state finish on the softball field. The lefty has been playing summer softball, helping at the Spartan volleyball camps, all while working on her own to get ready for what she hopes to be a magical senior year in 2022-23.
Driven by a supportive family, faith and her love of sports, Ervin, who hit .323 this year with seven doubles and 12 RBIs, says it is not difficult to find inspiration when attempting to reach her goals.
“My inspiration and motivation in sports comes not only from my family who pushes me very hard in what I do, but my coaches who want me to be the best I can be and want me to excel in everything,” Ervin said.
“I push myself very hard in both volleyball and softball and I want to be the best. I have set goals for myself and I am working to meet those goals, but with all of those things my biggest inspiration or motivation is God. As a Christian, my job is to glorify God in all that I do and sports is a beautiful opportunity to do just that,” Ervin said.
Ervin is coming off an ultra-successful junior year where she excelled on the volleyball court and the softball field. She had 119 strikeouts and a 2.12 ERA on the mound. The aforementioned second team all-state honor and a Lootpress player of the week award were nice, but Ervin knows she still has plenty to work on to truly be where she wants to be.
“I feel like I pitched well this season keeping the ball away from the batters and spinning the ball where (coach) Honaker called the pitch. I would have liked to minimize the number of hits more but hey, this is high school and some of these girls can hit very well. I definitely could have hit better this year as my offensive side was down, but it’s just something to work on,” she said.
And working on those things begins with a whole offseason.
“Going into the offseason I plan on really working on my spin and movement and making the ball move like crazy. I really want to perfect all of the pitches that I throw, and I want to be able to make batters look silly,” Ervin said with a smile.
While some players may find workouts grueling and tough, or a time to just lay back and relax, Ervin does not let herself get to that point. A true hard worker, she is always willing to do a little extra to make sure she is the best that she can be.
“I work hard in the off season, and when there are workouts or any kind of practice you better believe I’m there putting in the work even if everyone else is goofing off. I spend a lot of time at the field and cages and play travel for both volleyball and softball, and I really just put in work any time I can,” Ervin stressed.
With her final seasons of eligibility approaching in the near future not just for sports, but as a high school student as well, Ervin has an idea of the exact time that will creep into her mind and maybe start to make her a little emotional.
“I think it’s really going to hit me when volleyball is over because that will be the last time I am on the court with many of those girls and with Matt (Sauvage) and Taelor (Curry) coaching,” Ervin concluded.
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