Gwen Gardner '20 Recruiting Profile

My name is Gwendolyn Gardner.   My parents have been the greatest influence on my life.  They have taught me that success depends on my attitude, my desire to succeed and dedication to whatever I choose to pursue in my life.   My dad and mom and my grandparents on both sides of my family have encouraged me to pursue my dreams and never give up.

My love for the game of baseball/softball began when I was 8 years old.  My mom, unintentionally signed me up for little league baseball instead of softball, so I played baseball with the boys for two years.  Playing with the boys, I had to work a little harder, play a little tougher.   At the beginning of that first season, I was “ugh, the girl”, by the end of that first season, I had 12 boys at my birthday party who had all become lifelong friends.   After two years of baseball, I ventured onto the softball field and knew this was what I wanted to do.  

Playing softball has taught me discipline.  I have learned that winning isn’t always everything.  I have been the hero on the team and I have been the last one to strike out, with bases loaded, ending a game in a loss.   I learned to walk away from both of those scenarios with my head held high knowing that I did my best.

Throughout middle school and now as a freshman in high school, my academic goals have been my priority.  My parents have enforced high standards for grades before sports.   I earned my Academic Letter this year as a freshman and my goal is to repeat this every semester throughout high school.  I know that without academic excellence, I will not be able to attend a college of my choice and pursue a career as a Veterinarian.

My family has been my biggest supporters, encouraging me and enabling me to pursue the game in both school sports and on travel ball teams over the last several years.    I can’t say I have had any obstacles in my way as I’ve pursued this sport.

I am a little over six feet tall with an arm span of 6 feet.   I play first base and have found that I can stretch to reach just about any ball that is thrown my direction!  I have mastered the splits in order to catch a ball while keeping my foot on the bag.   My coaches and my dad have taught me to anticipate the next play, know where the ball is, where the next play is, and I am always thinking ahead with my head in the game at all times.