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PRESCOTT, Ariz. — The Yavapai College Women’s Softball team recently went to the National Tournament in Yuma, Arizona, after a 2022 record of 54-4, thanks in no small part to the skill and tenacity of Emily Dix, its pitcher. The Lady Rough Riders went 3-2 at the National Tournament and finished in 5th place.

From her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Emily left high school before graduation and came to Yavapai College in Prescott, earned her GED and become deeply involved in its Women’s Softball team.  She started in sports at age seven, in Little League.  Her neighbor saw her potential and first coached her in softball – she was already pitching at that early age. Emily enjoyed softball and pitching; she consistently played in leagues with older players and pushed herself, always as a right-hander.

Doug Eastman, Yavapai’s Women’s Softball coach, became interested in her skills when she was in the eighth grade, when Emily didn’t even know where Yavapai College was but later found it very comfortable.  Emily visited Yavapai College when she was seventeen.  She credits Eastman and Assistant Coach, Erika Bennett, who is also the Pitching Coach, with helping her mature and grow her skills; for her, they seem like a second set of parents and have established a close-knit family environment.

Emily came to Yavapai College in the spring of 2021, earned her GED and fully entered its academic and sports lives.

She calmly describes dealing with on-field challenges such as getting hit by a pitched ball as a matter of proper advance analysis and planning along with watching a lot of softball.  Emily analyzes the skill of accurately pitching under-handed as a matter of practice, practice, practice, connecting body, eyes and purpose.

Emily recently committed to play softball at New Mexico State University, a four-year institution, unlike Yavapai College, a two-year college, where she has now completed its program.  New Mexico State is located in Los Cruces, New Mexico, closer to Emily’s family; it has been her childhood dream to play for the Aggies of New Mexico State, where she will be playing Division 1 Softball, and she is very excited about that possibility.

Emily advises high schoolers who are interested in college sports to start as early as possible and play competitive sports, get enough experience and play with older people and compete, compete – that’s how you get better.  She had been preparing for college softball since middle school.  After she left her high school, came to Yavapai College, earned a spot on the Yavapai team, she began to think about the possibility of playing on a Division 1 team and continuing to grow her skills while getting her name and stats out into the college softball world.

Emily describes her entire life as revolving around softball and competition while also enjoying baseball and cooking.

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