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36 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 10, 2004 Southern Oregon�s Amy Williams, left, has had a solid season for the Raider softball team. The first baseman leads the squad in RBIs. Coming into her own SOU first baseman Amy Williams balances life as a student-athlete and mom in an effort to be all she can be By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND — There’s a great phrase children bandy about in front yards, playgrounds and city streets across the nation: It’s called "do-over." It’s what you yell when a game gets interrupted or a second chance is warranted. It essentially paves the way to a world of possibilities, turning a strikeout into a base hit or a missed shot into a basket. The only drawback is the magic phrase has a limited shelf life. Do-overs tend to go the way of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny: Sooner or later, the real world rears its ugly head and the unquestioned magic is no more. As you get older, second chances are earned, not granted. Advertisement Amy Williams wouldn’t mind a second chance, but she’s not about to naively put her hand out. The sophomore first baseman at Southern Oregon University takes full responsibility for where she is today, and where she hopes to be tomorrow. She’s 21 with a 9-month-old son named Tyadi and no plans to marry anytime soon. She’s working hard to atone for a less-than-spectacular freshman year at Portland State University when academics took a back seat. She’s trying her best to remain positive as she gets back into the flow of being a softball player following years away from the game. And, most important of all, she’s refusing to give up on herself. "When you get pregnant and you’re young, everyone says ‘Oh, her life is over,’" says Williams, "but I wanted to prove to myself that my life isn’t over. I can go to school, be a mom, get a degree and get a good job so I can support and protect my son. "I may not be able to live my life exactly as I might have wanted, but my life is far from over." As proof, the pre-law major with an interest in criminology has posted a 3.15 GPA since coming to SOU following a Portland State experience she wishes she could take back. The 2000 Ashland High grad was an all-state volleyball and softball player and attended PSU on a volleyball scholarship. The Vikings, however, went 0-25 her freshman season and head coach Chris Stanley was fired and replaced by Jeff Mozzochi, who had guided PSU to four national championships in the university’s NCAA Div. II heyday from 1984-92. To add to the turmoil, Williams also had to face the consequences of being a teenager away from home without much desire to go to class. Her scholarship was rescinded, academic standing tainted and future left in the balance as she returned to Ashland. After using a year to regroup, Williams enrolled at SOU in fall 2002 and turned to the softball program to satisfy her athletic cravings. But before she could whet that appetite, her cravings turned purely food-oriented a few months later upon learning she was pregnant and had to delay her comeback to the diamond. "It was hard to tell (then-coach James Gravelle) because I wasn’t really able to deal with it myself," recalls Williams. Time hasn’t done much to alleviate those concerns. "I didn’t feel I was ready when I had nine months to prepare," Williams says of motherhood, "and I’m honestly still scared to death to be a mom. I’m scared everything I do and every decision I make will be the wrong one. It’s a lot of pressure." Although she wouldn’t give Ty up for the world, Williams says getting pregnant when she did wasn’t the smartest choice she’s made. "I’ve made life so much harder on myself than I could have," she says, adding that she feels like she hasn’t slept in two years. "I seriously couldn’t do it without my boyfriend and my family. They help me out so much." That said, no one has made more of an impact on Williams than Ty. "I love my son; he’s a blessing for me," she says. "He motivated me, really. Getting pregnant made me think that I had to do something with my life. It made me grow up. "We grow together," adds Williams. "I’m a different person now than before I got pregnant. I’m not going to say I’ve been strong the whole time because I’ve had hard times and broken down some times, but you live and you learn." And you move on. Williams was only a month into motherhood when Larry Binney was named head coach of the SOU softball team last summer. He remembered the standout from his days at North Medford High, and hit the recruiting trail with a phone call. "If he wouldn’t have called me up, I don’t think I ever would have gone to him because I was so busy," says Williams. "I talked to him and told him I didn’t know about softball because I just had a baby. He said, ‘I know, congratulations. You want to play ball?’" It was an offer Williams couldn’t refuse. She had admired Binney from afar in her days at Ashland, and had a great experience playing summer ball for the Tornado legend after her senior season. "He’s been awesome," she says. "He’s always made me feel that my son comes first and is willing to do whatever he can to make things easier on me." While that may be true, Binney says Williams has never made herself out to be anything but one of the gang at SOU. "I’ve got all the respect in the world for Amy and everything that’s on her plate," says Binney, whose team entered Friday with a 14-game winning streak and 20-4 record. "Amy has handled herself extremely well through everything and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Her attitude and ability to be flexible and adjust has been tremendous." It’s an attitude that has also helped Williams win over some of her detractors. "I’m sure people have their thoughts on my life," she says, "but since I’m doing something for myself and my son and being positive about it, people are being positive with me." Dropping the 60 or so pounds gained during her pregnancy slowed Williams during fall ball, but Binney says she’s beginning to come into her own on the diamond this spring. The 5-foot-10 cleanup hitter leads the team with 19 RBIs — six of which came in a doubleheader sweep of Oregon Tech last week — and has been flawless in the field. "It seems like she’s just getting better every week," says Binney. While she appreciates the compliment, Williams is quick to defer credit to her teammates. "It’s good to be successful, but I can only be successful if people get on base," she says. "I’ve got Kara (Ray) and Haley (Varley) getting on base a lot and my job is just to move them around. "I really don’t think I’m at that point where I’m so comfortable out there," adds Williams. "I think I can do better. I still want to improve." It’s a philosophy that apparently filters through all levels of her life, and one she’s not likely to abandon with Ty by her side. "I’m pretty strong-willed," says Williams, who is looking to graduate inside two years. "I’m going to succeed, and do it how I do it." No ifs, ands, buts or do-overs about it. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s