Sports have always been a big part of Ansley Blevins life and the time she spent as a kid at the baseball fields watching her brother play and her dad coach had a major influence on her as she grew to love the diamond sports.
Also, don't forget about mom who was a terrific athlete in her own right, staring in volleyball in college, she ended up coaching Ansley when she began softball, and had a big impact on her.
"I just wanted to be like her, and I wanted to do everything that she did, so I really got into sports because of her."
She grew up playing basketball, softball, and volleyball in Jasper, TN and she attended GPS because her older brother went to McCallie which was influenced by their 4th grade teacher.
Blevins played five years of varsity softball as she made the team at GPS as an 8th grader and while there, she set the program record for home runs with 40 over her career, and she also set the single season record with 20 her senior year.
While in high school she caught a lot and credits a lot of her success to her head coach, Susan Crownover.
"I learned a lot from coach Crownover... she's the biggest influence that I've had in softball. She puts me in my place when I need to be put in my place, she's stood up for me when I needed to be stood up for... She's taught me some hard lessons and the best lessons I could have... I'm so thankful for have gotten to know her through GPS."
She ended up committing to Middle Tennessee State her junior year and the year before she began her college career the team had a down year, winning only 19 games.
It was no surprise when they were picked to finish last in Conference USA this past season. However, she said the team used it as motivation and they played with a chip on their shoulders to prove everyone wrong.
Wouldn't you know it, they did just that by setting a program record for wins in a season with 42, they won their conference tournament which earned them a berth into the NCAA Regionals where they had to travel to Tuscaloosa, home of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
While at the Regional, the Blue Raiders beat up on No. 23 Central Arkansas twice (beating them a combined 11-0) and defeated Alabama 4-1 to force a winner take all Championship Game. Unfortunately, MTSU fell 1-0 and their magic run was over, but it was still an incredible year.
As far as Blevins goes, she started 61 games for the Blue Raiders hitting .237, she scored 19 runs, she drove in 26, while smashing six home runs.
This former GPS star certainly has a bright future as she'll begin her sophomore campaign in 2024.