Name: Elle Gray

Age: 22

Hometown: Sitka, Alaska

Major: Environmental Studies/Government Combined Major

How long have you been playing softball? How did you get into the sport?

I’ve been playing softball for 14 years now.  I first got into it because both my older brothers played baseball and I really admired them for it, going to all their games and the like. My parents have always expected us to be in sports, so when they asked which spring sport I would like to do, I chose softball in hopes that I could be as good as my brothers.

What made you want to join the team at SLU?

My coach is one of the most inspiring people I know and she expects 100% effort from each player at all times, which is very important to me. I knew that the team would be undergoing big, exciting changes during my softball career here, and it was something that I wanted to be a key part of.

What has been your favorite experience on the team so far?

My favorite experience so far was our Spring Break trip to Florida my sophomore year. We get treated to ice cream each time we sweep the day of double-headers, and we got ice cream every night that trip.  On top of that, I had never seen a team before look so confident in our ability and happy to be playing.

What makes SLU’s softball team so unique?

This year in particular, each girl on the team is one of the best people you will ever meet. I think we are unique because the girls are not only kind and fun to know, but also we are all determined and competitive with trust as a solid base for our team.  

What is your competition/practice schedule like?

We practice Monday through Wednesday during the evening each week and do individual hitting practices on Thursday’s. Friday’s we do an early morning practice and Saturday we do that followed by a swim practice. Our first games are in Florida over Spring Break during our Spring Training trip, playing 12 games in 7 days.  Once we come back, the majority of our season is played in April, in which we play a total of 28 games.

Do you have any pre-competition rituals?

I dance to get all my nerves out!

What do you do to celebrate a win?

Celebrate with my team first with high-fives and talking about the game highlights with each other.  Then I tell my family the same.

Who would you say is your biggest fan?

My grandfather – even though he’s on the west coast, he streams all of my games and sends texts after each with a play-by-play analysis and congratulations.

Anything else you want to add?

Follow our team mascot, Simba the Honey Badger, for some fun pics and updates on our season! @ simba.the.saint