Ashley Renee Johnston

Ashley Johnston

AJ was born in Monroe, Louisiana at St. Francis Hospital, as was I. She was raised in West Monroe with her brother, Clint, her mom, Judy, and her dad, Jody. Two years after AJ was born, our cousin Chasity was born. Two years after Chasity came our cousin Betsy. Two years after Betsy came Emily. Four years after Emily came me, Jessi. Two years after me came my little sister and our final family member of our generation, Casey. AJ was 10 years old when I was born. I was always at her house when I was young because her mom, my Aunt Judy, kept me while my mom was at work. She used to play ball with me and teach me how to throw, and I would go to all of her softball games. We would do all kinds of stuff together. She taught me a lot about the sports I play today. She also 'gave' me her number. She was always #7 when she was younger. When I was about 4 years old she told me that my favorite number was going to be 7. From then on, I always chose #7 if I could, and I still do.

When Ashley was in high school, she played softball. She was also a cheerleader. After realizing that softball was her love, she quit cheering and focused on softball. She was a great catcher, even though she was left-handed. During her sophomore year, West Monroe High School won the LHSAA 5A State Softball Championship. AJ played catcher until the summer of her junior year. Her knees started to bother her. AJ then found out that she must have surgery on her knees and would not be able to play catcher again. After healing from her surgery and getting back on the softball field, AJ had to learn a new position. Because she was left-handed, she started playing first base. AJ became a great first baseman, and her team again made it to the State Finals her senior year. When the Lady Rebels lost to the Sulphur High Lady Tors, I couldn’t stand it. Even though I lived in Sulphur at the time, I still rooted for West Monroe in any game.

After graduating from West Monroe High School, Ashley went to Bossier City to play softball at Bossier City Community College (BPCC) and was an outstanding first baseman. During her junior year, AJ played at Louisiana Tech University. During her senior year, AJ played softball at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. There, she led the Rangers in homeruns and was a great first baseman. After finishing college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education, with a Minor in Psychology, AJ decided that she wasn’t done with softball. She loves it too much. She then started studying at Texas A&M and received a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology, which would enable her to coach at the college level. AJ then moved to Paris, Texas, where she was assistant coach at Paris Junior College. Until the season that Ashley coached there, the Lady Dragons had never had a winning season record. AJ led them to a 33-26 overall season, and a 20-10 conference season. The Lady Dragons, under direction of AJ, placed 3rd in their regional tournament.

After finishing a successful season at Paris Junior College, AJ got an offer to go coach at the College of the Desert, in Palm Springs, California. There, she led the Roadrunners to be 6th in their league. As of now, AJ is still in Palm Springs trying to find a head coaching job. She is playing in a softball league and trying to keep as busy as possible to keep from getting homesick. Our family is a very close family and before my family moved to Sulphur, we all lived within a 5 mile radius in West Monroe. My family still goes to West Monroe to visit for holidays, and most of the time just because we feel like it. It’s where all my family lives and so it’s like home to us. So, when AJ started moving everywhere to coach and play softball, it was very different. This past year, she missed Thanksgiving. It was very different for us and it just about killed her. This is part of the reason she is my hero. She loves the game of softball so much; she would do just about anything to play it. I look up to anyone who is loyal to something they love.

So I guess you’re wondering why she’s my hero. Well, it’s because she never stopped trying. She never quit. No matter what, she always kept going, no matter how homesick she was, what injury she had, or how far away from home she had to move; she does it because she loves the game of softball. Well, she may not seem like a hero to you, but to me, that’s all a hero needs to be. Someone that keeps going to matter what obstacles they face. And this is why my cousin AJ is my hero.