Down on the Bayou: Ashlin Mowery’s commitment to LSU is where she is supposed to be
LANCASTER — Like most big-time college recruits, Lancaster junior Ashlin Mowery had a huge decision on where she would take her talents to at the next level.
Just about every college in the country had contacted Mowery, and rightly so. She is a talented pitcher who throws heat and, at the plate, is a dangerous hitter with power. In college, she will be used as a rare pitcher that also gets to hit.
Every high school player wants to make sure they find the right fit when they make their college choice, but as it turned out, the decision became crystal clear for Mowery as soon as she stepped off the plane in Louisiana.
On her visit to LSU, Mowery said it felt like home. She loved the coaches, her future teammates, everything about the school and verbally committed to play for the Tigers.
“I have always been the adventurous type and staying in Ohio has never been my goal,” Mowery said. “Everyone always tells you that when you know, you know, but I really didn’t know what that meant. However, as soon as I stepped off the plane in Baton Rouge, I instantly fell in love. I had a feeling that this was where I was supposed to be. It was a crazy feeling.
“The people are fantastic and it’s home away from home, and that is what I was looking for in a school. I just wanted to be somewhere where I felt like I was home. The people are great. They are hard workers and very faith-based people and that’s who I want to surround myself with. I’m so blessed that they called and wanted me.”
Lancaster softball coach Allison Kinniard said LSU is getting a great player because Mowery not only has exceptional talent, but her work ethic is second to none.
“She is the hardest worker in the room. She gives 100% in everything she does, which has made her into an elite athlete," Kinniard said. 'She is the one that is always in the gym hitting off a tee, pitching, always asking questions, and always making herself better and working harder than the next person.
“She is such a great kid, gets good grades, takes top-level classes, and fitting all those things in with softball and training and doing all the other things that she does, is what separates her. She is such a humble kid and she expects a lot out of herself.”
Just scratching the surface
As good as Mowery is, and now that she has made her college choice, it would be easy for her to kind of coast her final two years of high school softball, but what separates the elite athletes from the average ones, is they are never satisfied.
That Mowery doesn’t realize how good she is, is refreshing. She is driven to succeed. She has put in countless hours of work and it has paid off, but she refuses to become complacent.
“When I was young, I was a Bambi and I had no coordination,” Mowery said. “It took a lot of work to get me to where I am now. It was nothing for me and my dad to go in every day of the week, pitching and hitting for two to three hours. Doing that and then working out helped me gain control over my body when I was younger. To be honest, I still have trouble believing I have reached this point.
"My parents always tell me to believe in myself. I sometimes think about how I went from being a little girl who wasn’t very good to getting to this point. I still struggle with believing that I am such a good athlete because in my mind everybody is trying their hardest and everybody puts the work in, so I still struggle with setting myself apart. I have to remind myself that I have put the work in and to believe in myself and have that confidence.”
Mowery, who finished with a career-high 17 strikeouts last week in a win against Central Crossing, has a high softball IQ and understands what it takes, as well as all the pressure that comes with being such a high-level recruit.
“This game is all about pressure and it is a game of failure,” Mowery said. “There’s constantly going to be pressure on you, but you have to fall in love with the feeling of being under pressure, and I still struggle sometimes with that feeling, but the adrenalin of it helps. I love being out there and enjoying that you can do something that I love every single day is just amazing and being surrounded by people gives you confidence.
“I understand this wasn’t something that was handed to me. You have to put the work in to make it happen. It’s a grind at times, but the love I have for the game makes me want to put the work in all the time.”
Mowery continues to pile up big-time numbers in the circle and at the plate. She has a 23-4 career record, and in 162 innings career innings pitched, she has 238 strikeouts, including 86 in 49 innings this season. At the plate, she has hit 36 career home runs, including 16 in her freshman year.
For the time being, Mowery is focused on taking Lancaster softball to new heights, and even though her college commitment is out of the way, it is a relief, but in no way is she going to sit back and rest on her laurels.
“You can breathe a little when you are committed, but with me, it is the opposite,” Mowery said. “Now I have a school I want to represent with my whole heart and I want to give everything to them, so now I want to work 10 times harder and I want to perform 10 times better.”
Spoken like a big-time athlete who is on the path to becoming special.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Down on the Bayou: Mowery’s commitment to LSU is where she is supposed to be
