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Aysha
Richardson
started her
softball career
at Virginia Tech,
transferred to a
Division II school
and later missed a
year while attending a
community college before
finally finding her way back
to Blacksburg •
by
Jimmy Robertson
38
Inside Hokie Sports
Coaches
love versatility in an athlete
.
Quite simply, it’s an addiction they seek to satisfy during their travels
while searching for young men and women to bring into their respective sport
programs.
Scot Thomas is no different. Tech’s softball head coach seeks young women with
the ability to play multiple positions, and Aysha Richardson, the Hokies’ most versatile
and talented player, fits perfectly into his philosophy.
Unfortunately, that versatility directly resulted in the worst possible outcome for both her
and Tech—a season-ending injury.
An outfielder and pitcher, Richardson went to the circle to pitch batting practice one
evening before the Tech-Louisville series in mid-April. Throwing to the final batter of
practice, she took a line drive off her left eye. The blow broke her orbit bone in two
places, and the subsequent concussion shelved the Hokies’ leader for the remainder
of the 2017 season.
“It’s really sad. It’s a bummer because I had been doing well,” she said, admitting
that she still suffered from headaches and blurred vision. “Forget pitching or
anything else, I was doing well hitting, and that’s what I love to do. Having to
watch and put that pressure on our freshman is unfortunate.
“It’s not the way I thought my career would end. That’s for sure.”
Richardson wasn’t the only Hokie to suffer an injury in what became
the story of the 2017 season for the softball program. Injuries ended the
seasons of top pitcher Mikaela Aiken and shortstop Caitlyn Nolan, and
forced Chelsea Whitcomb, a utility player/pitcher, to miss significant
time. An injury also relegated standout outfielder Breanna Davenport to
hitting duties only.
But Richardson’s injury essentially snuffed the candle on Tech’s season
with 15 games remaining, as it took away the Hokies’ leader in batting
average (.373), hits (41) and stolen bases (12). Not to mention, it seized
50-plus innings in the circle on an already depth-shy staff and a pitcher who
threw a no-hitter earlier this season against Seton Hall.
“Aysha’s story, though, is more than just this year,” Thomas said.
Indeed, as Richardson’s lifelong path to this year’s success has been a
bizarre one, and in fact, almost unheard of in college athletics today. She
only became interested in softball after tossing the ball with her grandmother
in the backyard of her grandmother’s home in Louisa County—a cutoff throw
from Charlottesville—and she later went on to become an all-state performer in
neighboring Orange County, which boasted a better program.
Yet she never gave a thought to her future.
“I wasn’t planning on going to college at all,” Richardson admitted. “Then my travel ball
coach was like, ‘Oh, Virginia Tech is here at this tournament. You should really talk to them.
It’s a really good school.’ I’m like, ‘Sure, whatever.’
“They [Tech’s coaches] came, and he [Thomas] liked me. I came on a visit, and when I came
on the visit, I loved Tech. My dad was a UVA fan, so he hated the fact that he had to come here,
but I loved it. Then I went on a couple of other visits, but nothing compared to Tech.”
Thomas’ offer served as a lifeline of sorts. It offered her an opportunity, both from a softball
perspective and to put together a future once her time in the sport ended.
“I don’t know what I would have done,” Richardson said. “Probably community college and
figure it out from there.”
Richardson jumped into the mix rather quickly when she arrived in the fall of 2013.
She earned a lot of playing time during the Hokies’ fall season, and she even started
seven games during the regular season the following spring. She played in 31 games
overall, hitting .286 and stealing 15 bases—respectable numbers for a freshman.
Those numbers came despite some injuries. A balky hamstring prevented
her from going all out, and then she missed most of that April with a gall
bladder issue.
Frustrated with the injuries and feeling that she should
have played more, she informed Thomas at an end-
of-the-season meeting of her plan to transfer.
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