Words Of Wisdom From ASBA Pro Softball Player -Cassady Knudsen

“I just want to give opportunities to younger generations, because in the future I am expecting this league to be huge and I wanted to be the first to help set it on it’s course”.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Cassady Knudsen, the #1 draft pick of the first ever ASBA Professional Softball League season. Cassady was delighted to share with me her feelings about going pro. I enjoyed listening to the excitement in her voice as she spoke about the future and the trails that her and the others in the league are blazing for future generations.

Gene: Cassady, you were the first pick of the first round of the first ever ASBA Draft. What do you think about that?

Cassady: You know.. it was really awesome and such an honor honestly. I really wasn’t expecting it, but i’ve just worked so hard and to have that happen to me, it just means the world to me. All my hard work has finally paid off and people have noticed, so it was so cool and just the fact that it is the first draft ever of the whole league, that is just so awesome.

Gene: When did you know that you wanted to go pro?

Cassady: Well I really just couldn’t give the game up, I just didn’t want to stop playing. My senior year it was just sorta coming to a close and I didn’t wanna stop, I just wanted to keep playing. I couldn’t give up on my dream and this opportunity to go pro was available. A friend actually told me about and she said, you just have to do it, you have to keep playing and it sounded like such an awesome opportunity and I loved the league and just couldn’t give up the opportunity to go pro.

Gene: What school did you play for in college?

Cassady: Mississippi State

Gene: This is a startup league and it is the first year, so what enticed you to join the league, since it is so new?

Cassady: Well, I thought it just sounded like good opportunity to try and build up our league, because, you know, there’s not a lot of professional softball and not a lot of people know about softball. I just thought that even though it is new and even though it is small, that I could be one of the first to try to help softball grow and the league grow. I just want to give opportunities to younger generations, because in the future I am expecting this league to be huge and I wanted to be the first to help set it on it’s course.

Gene: ASBA has opened up a whole new opportunity for professional softball. A year ago, what did you think you’d be doing when you graduated?

Cassady: I thought that I would be going to medical school actually, but for the summer, I didn’t really have any plans. I was just going to sorta fly by the seat of my pants then this came up and I was really went all in for it. As soon as I found out, I knew this is what I really wanted to do this summer.

Gene: What do you think ASBA has done for the sport?

Cassady: I think that it has given the opportunity for players to live out their dreams and play the game that we all love. They have provided us with an opportunity to continue playing even after our eligibility in college softball is up. Also to show younger girls how awesome it is to play softball. To show them that we are good role models

Gene: What are your expectations for being a pro player with ASBA this year?

Cassady: Well, I’m expecting it to be a lot of fun. I just think softball is so much fun and I am looking forward to it, but I really excited for the challenge because it’s going to be the best of the best and it’s gonna be close games every time. I’m gonna be facing really great hitters and I’m gonna meet new people that are really great and I think it’s just going to be a really great challenge.

Gene: Can you tell me a little about the buzz that you guys are generating, in Mobile in particular. Do you think you guys are gonna draw a large crowd this year? How do you think it’s gonna go down? What are your expectations?

Cassady: You know, I’m thinking that we will draw a large crowd. I’m hoping that since it’s new and it’s fresh and people just kinda found out about it, that their gonna be intrigued by it. I noticed a lot of people watching the draft, so I think we’re gonna see a lot of people watching the league and hopefully they can spread the word so we can have a lot of awesome fans.

Gene: What was your major in college and do you plan to pursue it?

Cassady: I majored in Biological Sciences. I’m actually going to apply to grad school at Mississippi State. I’d like to get my masters in health promotion. Past that I would actually like to get into medical school. My end goal is become a doctor.

Gene: Any particular field of study or type of doctor you want to become? A general practitioner?

Cassady: I actually want to become an oncologist. My mom has been through a lot of treatments because she has got cancer, so it hits home and I just wanna do that.

Gene: What has the sport done for you as a person? How has it inspired you?

Cassady: Well it has inspired me to be a hard worker. I’ve got to where I am today, because of my hard work and my dedication. I definitely don’t know where I would be without this sport. It’s taught me to be selfless. Playing as a team, you have to put team before yourself, which I think is really important. You can’t just settle and you know, I think that’s why I wanna be a doctor. I just wanna reach for the highest goal and I want to better myself every single day. It just taught me to be a good teammate and a good friend and that the people that you are with matters more than what you are doing. I think it’s easy for people to say that softball is their life, it’s taught me that softball is the game that I play, the game that I love, but what it really boils down to is the people that I’m with.

Gene: Who is your personal hero?

Cassady: My personal hero would have to be my mom. So she’s had cancer for a really long time and she is just so positive. She always looks for the best in people and in life and that’s really who I look up. I’m a positive person too and I think that you’ve gotta enjoy your time, however long it is. Enjoy your time with people, because you never know which day is gonna be your last. So yeah… definitely my mom.

Gene: Tell me about a time that you struggled or got knocked down. How did you pick yourself up and get going again?

Cassady: So this past season, I had a couple of games where everyone was hitting off of me and I was giving up a lot of walks and I just really didn’t feel like myself. So what I did was, I turned to my teammates. I ask them, I’m in a slump, so what do I do? They just kept me positive and kept me thinking about doing what I do and being who I am and continuing to work hard. I finally overcame the hardship that I was going through.

Gene: If you could jump into a time machine, travel back in time and change just one thing about your past, what would it be and why?

Cassady: You know what, I don’t think that I would. I don’t think I would change anything. I’ve gone through hardships and happy times, but I think where I am today has really been a build up of all of the moments in the past. So even though there has been things that haven’t gone my way, or that I might not like, I think have built me to be the person that I am today, so I don’t think I would change anything.