Sports Person of the Week - Aubrey Batiste

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Eight-year-old softball player Aubrey Batiste is completely deaf but hasn’t let that derail her from the goals that she has set for herself.

“I saw people playing and they were really good, and that just inspired me to learn how to play softball at my home,” said Aubrey. “I then learned how to throw and I was pretty good and so I did well and decided that I wanted to play little league softball and it was so much fun.”

Aubrey’s family and coaches have been supportive of her dreams throughout her whole journey so far, and they believe that her hard work and determination will take her a long way in the sport.

“I think that Aubrey’s a very big competitor and she hasn’t had the opportunity to show how much she is because she’s had to catch up and learn everything, but whenever she gets it, you can tell because she lets you know she got it,” said Reginald Braxton, Aubrey’s grandpa. “As long as you got the fire and the heart to do it and if you’re competitive and willing to do it over and over, anybody can play and she’s living proof of that.”

Samantha Armentor, head coach of Aubrey’s little league team, made it clear that this has been such a rewarding experience for her because of the amount of joy she sees on Aubrey’s face while playing.

“We saw her make a lot of progress and for me, the neatest thing is to see was that we would break into a huddle and they had a special little chant that they would sing because we’re a dynamite and to see her face just glow that she couldn’t hear what was going on, but she felt so part of that,” said Armentor. “Seeing the team embrace her and getting to help coach this team was the greatest accomplishment for me in my whole coaching career.”

Aubrey’s team made it all the way to the Lake Charles Little League 8U Championship, and with a runner in scoring position with a chance to win the game, Aubrey smacked through the game-winning run to win her team the championship. She hopes that her story will help inspire other kids to chase their goals and dreams no matter their circumstances.

“I would tell them to try again and again, and just to keep trying and you can become good at the thing you love, too,” said Aubrey. “I was able to do something that I love so you can do it, too.”

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