Never Give Up

For most of her life, Ashton Coker has been playing softball. Some of her earliest memories are of playing the game with her brother. He played baseball and she wanted to be just like him, so she began playing softball and fell in love with the sport immediately.
Coker, now a junior at West Ashley High School, says she loves the challenges and the life lessons that playing the game of softball can teach you. Plus she says, “It’s just really fun to play the game.”
“Ashton has been an invaluable part of our softball team this year,” says West Ashley High Softball Coach Bobby Marion. “She has been a great player for us, being very steady on the mound all season, and pitched every game.”
At the close of the season, Coker was hitting .341 at the plate. Described by her teammates as hardworking, a motivator, and a helper, Coker has made quite an impact on those who she plays with. Coker says she’s learned the most from teammate Lexi Thompson, who was a former West Of Athlete of the Week, because she’s a hard worker and because she pushes herself and the rest of the team to be great.
Although she still has another year at WAHS, Coker says would like to attend Emory University and major in Chemistry. And she says she would like to continue to play softball in college if they will have her.
When asked if she could play with anyone dead or alive she says Chipper Jones, because he was her favorite baseball player. In her free time, Coker likes to hang out with friends, listen to music, and likes to play the drums. Like most athletes, Coker has her pregame rituals and quirky superstitions. For example, she wears her socks inside-out because she says it makes her play better.
When asked who she would name as a role model, Coker cites her mom. “She has a great outlook on life and has the mentality to never quit, to never give up,” she says. It’s a philosophy Coker herself has adopted. “Always keep your head up and to always keep pushing forward,” she says.