“I feel like I’m just an athlete who does what every athlete does,” said two-time Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week Ashley Whitmore.
Weekly, the conference selects a player from a pool of coach-nominated athletes. Dean of Athletics Kathy McGinnis explained the player is chosen based on stats and “above average play within the sport.”
Last semester, Whitmore received this notice for her performance as an outside hitter in volleyball. She was recognized again in March, this time for her softball skills.
“I feel like I have worked so hard and I wanted to be noticed,” she said in an email interview. “It’s an honor to be named athlete (of the week) and I am so thankful.”
Whitmore calls softball “the game of my life.” An athlete by age four, she made all-stars at age nine and every subsequent year until high school. She was a starting player all four years for the El Capitan High School Vaqueros.
Whitmore spent a brief stint at Grossmont College before transferring to City College, where she has been the Knights’ starting third baseman the past two seasons.
City College generally sees one or two athletes compete in multiple sports in the same year, according to McGinnis. “It’s pretty tough at this level,” she said. “Ashley is an exceptional athlete, and she has really grown and improved in the 3 years she has been at City.”
A self-proclaimed “daddy’s girl,” Whitmore grew up the solitary girl among five brothers. “Having a big family is awesome,” she said. “It’s like a playground in your house.”
Whitmore is the product of “a very sporty family.” She camps with her family and occasionally golfs, but “my brothers are too good.”
“I’m not the best golfer, but I have fun with it, and they don’t always like it.” More seriously, she said her family stands behind her in her sporting endeavors.
“My family is just amazing,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore’s mom altered her schedule to start work at 2 a.m. so that she would be available for her children’s games.
Whitmore said her mom is “a hard worker who puts her children first.” Whitmore called her dad a “stay-at-home coach” who gives her the confidence and advice she needs to become a better player.
Twin brother Luke Whitmore texts his sister frequently from out-of-state college to ask how she is doing and urges her to “go hard and do work.”
“Hearing that from Texas just gives me a little fire,” Whitmore said.
She has needed that fire this year. During volleyball season, she played through two fractured ribs and a fractured pinky.
“It was painful at times,” Whitmore said.
“I just had to power through it and overcome it. telling myself I can rest and heal when the season’s done . now I am back in my groove.”
A shoulder surgery forced her to miss fall softball. After healing, she worked to earn back her position on the team.
“No one is a perfect athlete/player,” she said. “You will make mistakes . stay strong and learn from them. You can’t let an injury or error or any challenges stop you. You just gotta overcome it, and once you do, it feels amazing.”
