SVEC Fast Pitch player raising funds to get to All American Games

Sky Valley Education Center student Adrianna Draper has proven she possesses the skills and drive to get to the USA Elite Select Futures 2017 All American Games in Disney World’s Wide World of Sports Complex next month.

The 15-year-old is one of 26 players from seven states picked for the 14s Fast Pitch softball league’s Northwest team. Eight will compete from different regions in the U.S. during the tournament July 31- Aug. 5 in Florida.

Draper is one of two girls that were chosen from Washington this year. Funds are the one thing in her way. In response, family and friends are rallying the community. They have about three weeks to raise $3,500.

The Fast Pitch catcher and her mother said they are already surprised at the reaction. Friends have started online campaigns, including one on LuLaRoe. Sharinabean’s on Main owner Sharina McCrain allowed Draper to design her own container and sell the coffee she roasts to raise funds.

On her last day of school at SVEC, Draper sold almost $300 worth of the beans to friends, some of whom don’t even drink coffee. They wanted to support her and were willing to pay $20 for a bag, she said. 

On the front is a photo of Draper mid-play, and the product is called “Homerun Beans,” which is an ode to the student’s nickname. The moniker was originally given to Draper by her grandfather, who coached softball. It stuck throughout the years.

Draper has been playing since she was 6 years old. She says the sport is a part of her family history. Nearly everyone has either played softball or baseball, including her siblings, cousins, father and grandfather.

Last year was her first full year as a catcher. After giving the position a shot, Draper hasn’t left.

“You get to touch the ball every pitch,” she said.

Draper said catchers also have to be prepared to do around 100 squats each game. It also takes a special bond with the team’s pitcher to play the position really well. It is important to be in sync with, and pick up on the subtleties of the pitcher’s decisions before each throw, she said.

“You know it is going to be a strike or a ball before they even pitch it,” Draper said.

Amy Draper said her daughter consistently demonstrates integrity, leadership and sportsmanship on the field. Off it, she shows her dedication. She has watched Draper turn down sleepovers and birthday parties that would have taken away valuable energy from practices, games and tournaments, she said.

One year she went to a Rijo Athletics tryout in Woodinville while recovering from whooping cough, Draper said; she made the team.

Recently Draper said she considered quitting the sport altogether. She said she has never believed herself to be someone who was the best at something. Her confidence finally came when she started playing softball.

“It is the one thing I enjoy and am really good at,” Draper said.

The player said staying in the game means not missing even one season. The risk of falling far behind is too high. So, she has kept training and going to tryouts.

Last year she made the Bearcats JV softball team at Monroe High School. Amy Draper said the team’s coach, Ashely Tuiasosopo, has made a huge difference in her daughter’s performance and experience on the field.

“Adrianna just blossomed with her,” she said. “She really changed Adrianna.”

Draper will try out for the Bearcats varsity team this fall. Only one of the team’s three catchers graduated this spring, so Draper said she will have to be better than the players that have already built a rapport with their team and coaches.

The Drapers had only raised a little more than $900 by press time. Donations can be given through Draper’s GoFundMe page.