If you know softball, you know A.J Andrews—she’s the former LSU All-American turned pro who was the first softball player to ever win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Today, she joins Rob Crews to talk about growing up an athlete, taking pride in defense and serving as a role model. Hear how she developed her skills as an elite athlete and why she's motivated to not just stay in the game but to change it for the better.

Hear from the outfielder herself on what aspects of the game matter the most for developing into a well rounded player and person. She shares her passion for inspiring young women of color, and making strides for equality for female athletes across the board.

“Make sure that you don't align yourself with the possible and start really thinking about the impossible because impossible is nothing more than a dare, it's not a declaration.” -AJ Andrews [41:03]

“Representation is of the utmost importance. At the end of the day, in softball you're going to find maybe one, maybe two African American women on a team and I want that to change. I don't think it is at all indicative of the African American talent that's out there.” -AJ Andrews [27:26]

Key Takeaways: How AJ Andrews went from youth athlete to professional softball player. What she's learned about collegiate and professional sports. How she's inspiring other young women to achieve their dreams.

Episode Timeline:

[00:29] CG Plus [01:23] Intro [01:41] Meet AJ Andrews [02:14] Her background in sports and finding softball [05:02] When she realized she was fast [06:51] Developing athleticism with other sports [10:47] Getting recruited by LSU [12:42] Transitioning to college life [17:13] Self motivation and life as a professional athlete [19:33] Becoming the first woman to receive the Rawlings Gold Glove Award [22:49] Taking pride in defense [26:08] Representation for African American women [30:23] Gender inequality in sport [35:52] Branding and creating other streams of revenue [39:42] Finding AJ Andrews [40:19] Outro

“If I didn't make that one catch in that one moment, my entire life would be completely different... you just never know who's watching and you always have to give 100% effort and you always have to be yourself.” -AJ Andrews [11:09]

Resources Mentioned: CG Plus

Connect:

Find | Rob Crews At Complete.game On Instagram: @completegame On Twitter: @completegame On Facebook: @completegame

Find | AJ Andrews At alwaysaj.com On Instagram: @aj_andrews_ On Twitter: @aj_andrews_ On TikTok: @theajandrews

Subscribe: On Apple Podcasts On Spotify On Stitcher On iHeart Radio

Credit: IggyBeats, DT Productions, and Ali the Greatest for background music.