University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics
Olivia Gray: Eternal Life
5/29/2019 11:41:00 AM | Softball
Written By: Olivia Gray
Eternal Life
Written By: Olivia Gray
Dear Softball,
I have been warned that every athlete "dies twice." Once when the good Lord finally welcomes you home… and the other when you walk away from your sport for the very last time. I found this to be somewhat true when I left my cleats on Vartabedian Field after the last game of my senior year - never to be worn again to celebrate my teammates' home run shots at home plate, to represent my hometown team and the city of Pittsburgh, or to take the field alongside some of the best people I have ever come to know. Even though I found that to be one of the hardest things I have had to do, the memories and the personal growth I gained from that life far surmounted any feeling of an end.
You, Softball, have blessed me with opportunities my little six year-old self could never have imagined. Little Olivia Gray did not want to play softball at the time, but God had a much different plan for her life. A plan that a six year old could never fully comprehend, but one that would shape her into exactly who she was meant to be. Thankfully, my eager and persistent parents forced a stubborn kid into a pink 12-inch glove and a grey pinstriped jersey. Even though it was probably no easy feat, it was a feat that has proven to change my life.
Softball, you have given me a lot of pain, tears and blood - but you have also given me a chance to see the world from a different perspective and experience more than most people ever will, and for that, I will forever be in your debt. Through you, I have come to know and see Jesus on and off the field. I have seen Him in my teammates' eyes during 6 a.m. sprints, in my coaches who held me accountable for my mistakes, in my family's support, in the injury that sidelined me for over half my senior season, and in the little girls who line the fence at my games, dreaming to one day be in my shoes. I have seen Him while providing medical care to an underprivileged Haitian community, in the teenagers that changed my life in Vietnam, in my teammate Rylee's smile on game day, and most importantly, in myself. Without you, those doors would have never been opened for me to experience.
No matter how difficult it was to have to walk away from something that brought me so much joy every day, and to finally experience that form of "death" I was warned about – I am content knowing that even though a small part of me did die the day I walked away, I walked away with something much greater – eternal life. It was in that moment that I realized my life was certainly not ending… only beginning.
Thank you, Softball.
All the best,
Olivia Gray
Written By: Olivia Gray
Dear Softball,
I have been warned that every athlete "dies twice." Once when the good Lord finally welcomes you home… and the other when you walk away from your sport for the very last time. I found this to be somewhat true when I left my cleats on Vartabedian Field after the last game of my senior year - never to be worn again to celebrate my teammates' home run shots at home plate, to represent my hometown team and the city of Pittsburgh, or to take the field alongside some of the best people I have ever come to know. Even though I found that to be one of the hardest things I have had to do, the memories and the personal growth I gained from that life far surmounted any feeling of an end.
You, Softball, have blessed me with opportunities my little six year-old self could never have imagined. Little Olivia Gray did not want to play softball at the time, but God had a much different plan for her life. A plan that a six year old could never fully comprehend, but one that would shape her into exactly who she was meant to be. Thankfully, my eager and persistent parents forced a stubborn kid into a pink 12-inch glove and a grey pinstriped jersey. Even though it was probably no easy feat, it was a feat that has proven to change my life.
Softball, you have given me a lot of pain, tears and blood - but you have also given me a chance to see the world from a different perspective and experience more than most people ever will, and for that, I will forever be in your debt. Through you, I have come to know and see Jesus on and off the field. I have seen Him in my teammates' eyes during 6 a.m. sprints, in my coaches who held me accountable for my mistakes, in my family's support, in the injury that sidelined me for over half my senior season, and in the little girls who line the fence at my games, dreaming to one day be in my shoes. I have seen Him while providing medical care to an underprivileged Haitian community, in the teenagers that changed my life in Vietnam, in my teammate Rylee's smile on game day, and most importantly, in myself. Without you, those doors would have never been opened for me to experience.
No matter how difficult it was to have to walk away from something that brought me so much joy every day, and to finally experience that form of "death" I was warned about – I am content knowing that even though a small part of me did die the day I walked away, I walked away with something much greater – eternal life. It was in that moment that I realized my life was certainly not ending… only beginning.
Thank you, Softball.
All the best,
Olivia Gray
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball2025 Hall of Fame Class | Jessica Dignon
Saturday, September 27
Highlights | Pitt vs. Virginia Tech
Friday, April 18
Highlights | Pitt at Penn State
Tuesday, April 15
Highlights | Pitt vs. Duke
Saturday, April 12