AROUND TOWN: MV softball star Jason giving back to inner-city youth

Jul. 22—Softball has given former Mid Valley standout Danielle Jason everything she could ask for.

First-team all-state, the opportunity to play Division I softball and experiences most can't imagine.

Now, the 22-year-old is giving back to the community through the game that's been part of most of her life.

Jason, who started her college career at Robert Morris and moved on to Morgan State, is serving two internships in Baltimore this summer, one of which required she coordinate the Badge for Baseball event, funded by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, giving at-risk youth an opportunity to interact with law enforcement while participating in baseball and softball activities.

"There's a lot of gun violence in Baltimore. There's gang violence and there's a lot of drugs involved," Jason said. "There's a lot of chaos around these kids. So going to the police often is associated with your going to jail and what you're doing is bad or what situation you're in is bad. But going to the police could ultimately resolve their scenario and it doesn't have to resort to gun violence, or someone's had to fight you or things like that.

"So I wanted to really show that the police are there to keep them safe, and in order to have fun they need to be safe, and feel safe within the space that they are in. We tell them that all the time. If you guys do not feel safe in this space, we will get more control, and we did end up getting more control."

Taking over the program, part of Living Classrooms, for the summer has been a challenge, but rewarding, too.

"I really do have a passion for what I do," Jason said. "And these kids mean the world to me. So even when I didn't have softball at the end of the day, I had these kids and I had my experiences and I'm still working with them until July 28.

"A lot of them are in poverty. A lot of them are single-parent homes. Big families. A lot of them came in from different countries. They have incarcerated parents. They grew up in the inner city. So these children need positive role models to look up to and to have mentor them in a way to provide guidance or like guardrails to get them to where they need to be and motivate them."

One of Jason's moves was to find support from the Baltimore Orioles organization, and there were few as uniquely qualified to help as farmhand Maxwell Costes. The 24-year-old infielder and University of Maryland alum plays for the Orioles' nearby High Class A minor league team in Aberdeen, grew up in Baltimore and was more than willing to jump in to help.

"I reached out via Instagram, and he is a big community guy," Jason said. "He's from Baltimore and I figured since he's made it that these kids, he would be the perfect person to kind of call back into his community and help out. When I called he was very optimistic about joining me at my clinic and actually running it with me. The first thing that he did after the game (Thursday) was walk up to every single child that had a ball and signed it. So I picked the right guy.

"He was also very open with the mental health struggles that he had, and the kids need to understand that it's okay to talk about those things."

Jason knows the importance of that, graduating summa cum laude from Morgan State with a degree in psychology.

"I realized the importance of mental health and these kids within these areas specifically, really need it a little bit more," Jason said. "That was one of the most rewarding and fun things that I've ever done. And I really see a future in it."

She also knew that her eight-station setup to teach baseball and softball skills would build confidence in the youth — once she explained what softball was.

"I brought softball to Baltimore," said Jason, who works with sixth- through eighth-grade students. "My kids look at me and they're like, 'Well, what is softball?' And I'm like, oh my, so I began playing and practicing in front of them knowing that I was anticipating that I was going to be playing the next two seasons with Tusculum University.

"I really do have a passion for what I do. And these kids mean the world to me. So even when I didn't have softball at the end of the day, I had these kids, I had my experiences and I'm still working with them until July 28. And then I have to come home and get prepared to step off to Tennessee."

That's the next piece of the puzzle for Jason, who because of COVID and internships interrupting her college career, still has two years of eligibility while she pursues a dual master's degree at Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee.

That will reunite her — across the field, next spring when Tusculum takes part in a tournament with Kutztown University, where her successor at second, Kat Davis, will play.

"She's my girl and I cannot wait to see her again and actually get to step on the field with her," Jason said. "Even if it's against her, I'm still with her because Mid Valley softball is a community. We're a very strong community and wherever we are, we're still teammates. We're still family forever."

Kudos to both

Props are in order to North Pocono senior golfer Gwen Powell and incoming University of Scranton freshman soccer player Ron Prislupski.

While she didn't make the match-play segment, Powell shot rounds of 80 and 81 in the U.S. Girls Junior Championship, and there aren't many players who can say they are good enough to qualify for a USGA event.

Prislupski was named a United Soccer Coaches High School Scholar All-American, graduating from Holy Cross High School with a 4.0 GPA. He's just one of 54 boys nationwide to receive the honor.

MARTY MYERS is a Times-Tribune sports writer. His Around Town column appears on Sundays. To contact him, email mmyers@timesshamrock.com, call 570-348-9100, ext. 5437 or follow him on Twitter @mmyersTT.

MARTY MYERS is a Times-Tribune sports writer. His Around Town column appears on Sundays. To contact him, email mmyers@timesshamrock.com, call 570-348-9100, ext. 5437 or follow him on Twitter @mmyersTT.