Rylee Blanchard '21 Recruiting Profile

I have been playing softball since I was six years old.  I learned how to pitch when I was seven because the team I was on did not have a pitcher.  I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, at the time.  I played three seasons every year, spring, all-star summer and fall, in San Diego until I turned eleven.  Then my family moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho to be closer to family.  I played with several travel teams and then my Junior year, I started to play with Utah Cruisers out Salt Lake, Utah.  I enjoy the intensity of the game and the teamwork involved in getting the job done. When I am not pitching, I love to play in the field as a utility player. I have always maintained a 3.3 or higher GPA even during the season. I have taken several college courses through my high school and online to get ahead in my learning. I want to go to school to become a physical therapist and help athletes get back on the road to recovery. My freshman year of high school, I had shoulder surgery and the surgeon told me I may never be able to pitch again. I had to get the surgery, as the day to day pain was too much to handle. Following my surgery, my physical therapist asked me about my therapy goal. I told him I wanted to get back in the circle and play. We worked diligently and eleven weeks after surgery, I was playing ball again. I want other athletes in that same position to feel the joy of getting back to their sport. Nothing is better than beating the odds.