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Hey everybody and welcome back to Echoes of a Yard. I'm Kendyl Terrell, soccer player at Jackson State University, and this podcast is your source for all things HBCU. From the guests to the topics, the good and the bad, we're here to talk about it all. For the 14th episode, I'm joined by Jada Evans, a softball player from Hampton University. I'm so excited for y'all to hear her story. She's so pretty, kind, like I'm just excited. So tell us about yourself, like let us have the details. There's not much. I'm from a small town in Delaware. Delaware probably has a million people. I don't even know if you know where Delaware is. Oh, I know where Delaware State is. Oh yeah, yeah. So I'm like 35 minutes from Delaware State, all that ghetto-ness.

Let's see, I've been playing softball since I was 10. Softball was not my main sport actually. What was it? Basketball. I was really good at basketball, but I was just better at softball. Let's see, I got recruited. Hampton was not my first choice either. My first choice was the University of Delaware. I was recruited full ride to hit, but I was like, no, I want to go to HBCU. I want to be around black people. And I'm just here. It's my fourth year. I've been injured twice, been out the last half of my freshman year and the last half of my sophomore year. So I'm just here. I'm just here. Last year. So yeah, I'm just kind of recovering now and just trying to make my senior year the best.

So how and why did you start playing softball? Well, I started in Little League and they just needed a pitcher. And I was like, I mean, why not? I'm not doing nothing else. So why not? So I just started playing. And then like a year after I joined travel, and it just, I just kept doing it from there. I played travel for eight years, same team, same group of girls, same coaches. It was the best ever. It was so, so, so fun. So when did you realize you wanted to pursue it in college? Like what was that star moment where like, no, like I can see myself doing this at the next level? So I was 16. I played in the Little League World Series. It was on like ESPN and everything.

I was, I mean, I was just playing. Like I was having fun. I wasn't even thinking about it. But then Hampton, UD, Mercer, like five schools reached out and were like, 'we want you on our team.' And I was talking to my parents. I was like, 'like', I don't know if I want to go to college and play softball or basketball, but I ended up just choosing softball because they offered me more money at the HBCU level. So yeah, I've just been doing it ever since. So you mentioned the Little League World Series, like, talk about that a little bit. Like, I know that was a surreal, like, surreal feeling. How was that? Oh, so, so fun. It was the way that they had it, where we all stayed in the hotel room.

Well, not the hotel room; it was like they considered it a villa. They treated it like the Olympics, so all the athletes stayed in one. It was like a hotel complex area, and we just interacted with the girls. There was some shady stuff in there. But like overall, we made so much friends. Like I still talk to the Puerto Rican girls that I met there, what, five years ago. The only downside was we couldn't talk to our parents. So like I would text them; I could call him, but I couldn't see him after the games. I could see him for all of like five minutes. But like we couldn't like touch him really until we won. So that was the downside. But it was it was amazing.

And then this summer, I interned with Little League International. So I got to work with like the back. That's where the it was like a whole circle. It was I literally cried when I got it because I didn't think it wasn't my first choice. I was looking at a bunch of other internships and I got it and I was like, this is amazing. God bless. And I got to work like behind the scenes with like the operations and like the media crew. And it was oh my gosh, that was the best like two months that I've ever experienced ever. So did you always want to go to HBCU? Like you liked it in high school, you knew you were going to HBCU?

Yeah, since since I was probably like 14 or 15, I was like, 'I want to go to HBCU.' Um, I didn't really know much about Hampton until like I started going to camps here. But COVID hit. So I never saw the campus until I got here my freshman year. All I saw was the softball field. But I knew like once I set foot on the field, I was like, 'Yes, like I want to be here.' Like the girls are amazing. The coaches are cool. Like I loved it. And then I got here and my coach left. Yeah, so I've gone through three sets of coaches in my four years of being here. And like if people don't know, like a coach can make or break everything.

So, I'm already knowing the mental battle you have to go through just getting that different feeling of people because you have to adapt to certain people. So, oh my gosh, like, can you like dabble in that? Like, yeah, how often did you have to change coaching staff? Yeah, let's talk about that. So, it was like the last week of July going into my freshman year, we moved in like the second week of August. She had a Zoom and was like, I'm not coming. I'm going to Georgia State. So she dipped off the new coach. We didn't even get the new coach until the middle of September. Mind you, the fall starts when we get to school. Yeah. It was just her by herself until Christmas break.

The way softball works is like you can practice up until like Thanksgiving and then you have like a month off. And then we met our coaches in January. I don't want to say too much about them, but they definitely ruined the game. The love that I had for the game. I got concussed my freshman year. I had a great concussion. I was out for the rest of the year. Well, I was supposed to be, but they forced me to come back. And I like when I was up to bat, Kendall, I promise to you, I was seeing black, like up to bat. I was terrified. I was scared to death. Like I couldn't, I would swing and the ball would be like way up there. And I had no clue at all.

But they would tell me like, if you don't play, you're going to lose your scholarship. So I kept playing for them. The next year I came back, I was like, I'm not hitting. Like, don't let me pick up a bat. Like I'm terrified. They told me I would lose my scholarship for that. So I ended up picking up a bat again. I'm still terrified, coming home, crying every night. But then once last year, they brought in a pitching coach. Her name's Trey. She's the best lady I've ever met. She brought the love back. Like, I love her so, so much. And she just worked me back into it. Now I'm back hitting. But they fired her at the end of my junior year. So then we got all new coaches this year, but they are amazing.

The four that we have, like, I feel like we're actually going to be pretty good this year. But the mental side, like, it really, it really is not that bad once you like get to know like their antics and how they work. It was more hard. I mean, I think it's, it's, it's, it's, it's hard. Like, um, like keeping all the girls together. Cause we didn't have the best seasons, but, um, the one thing that we did have was like, the girls were very close and no matter how bad the coaches were or no matter how we didn't get along, we always stuck together. So that was probably the hardest part. Just keeping everyone in the same circle. Yeah. So like I, um, you talk about like how the girls were really close, like, um, the team chemistry and I can't lie.

Like this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my, this is my first year being here where the chemistry is just like, what the heck? This is like amazing. It's just the team chemistry is just there off the field. But I feel as though like there, I've just never been a part of a team where the chemistry was so good, but like, we just haven't been successful. And it's just, my coach says this thing all the time. Like, yes, we might've lost the battle, but we didn't lose the war. But it feels, I can't, I gotta be real. Like, it feels like we've lost the war right now. Cause it's like, it's so much more me.

It's like, no, we're beating these PWIs because like we're black women in a predominantly white sport. It means more. And it's just like, there's just something missing. And just being one of those older players, it's like, it's hard to keep that mental peace because it's like, I'm not only keeping my confidence and my positivity, I'm also keeping theirs up. So like if you falter, they see us, you know what I'm saying? Then you like, like, no, like you have to keep that. It's fine. It's fine. In your head, it's just kind of like, it's not fine. It's not fine. I'm panicking, but like, you just can never let them see you falter. And like, that's why I genuinely was so curious about the coaching piece because without my coach, like, oh my gosh, he has stayed still.

I say this all the time. I pushed this man away, pushed this man away. Like I did not trust people. Yeah. And he just stayed for me. And so just hearing that he went to through three different coaching staffs is like insane to me. Like, I applaud you because I don't know how I would have been able to do it. And I just like, like, you're amazing for that girl. Like literally. It was, it was something, it was something, especially like coming in as a freshman, because you're like, oh my gosh, like I get to prove myself to this coach. I'm so excited to play under her. That's who recruited me. That's who wants me to come to their school. And then before I even get there, she dips off and takes like half the girls with her.

So now we're left with the freshmen and whoever had to stay because Hampton, well, you know, HBCUs, it's really hard to transfer in and out. Yeah. We really didn’t get much transfers. It was us and whoever was left. Um, but it’s like building from the ground up basically. Yeah. And I mean, she left us at the ground. Like she said, 'So how would you What’d you say? She went to Howard. She left Hampton and went to Howard. No way. Wow. I, that's like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, no words cause it’s like, dang. Like, but when she told us, she was like, 'Oh, yeah, like I have better opportunities lined up. Like I, um, I can't stay here. I'm gonna still be around Hampton though.

Like I'm going to just be coaching around Hampton.' So we're thinking she's going to still be around for us. Nah. And we play them like, I think, like March. That's actually insane. Oh my gosh. So like, how would you rate like your overall experience, like your experience? At Hampton, though, first as a student just give plain off student no athletic part one out of 10 what are you giving it oh as a student a 10, 100, 100. Hampton is like forget softball I came here to get an education and they've given me all the resources, like they got me that internship, they've just given me so much knowledge, like they have a program to where like I can go sit down with teachers and fill out grad applications and they can help me through all the hard stuff that I can't do by myself.

Like shout out Hampton for the education part, like that's that's the best part of it, and you know like the HBCUs are really, they're like oh yeah you came from so and so, you must be real smart, yeah we teach here, the teachers genuinely care about you, especially like being an athlete, they make sure that you get your work done, you have the extensions that you need, they're so cool with athletes, like I love the academic part here, I love that you had that mindset, I love that you had that mindset about the HBCU because I feel the exact same way. I graduated with my bachelor's in psychology last May and no way I yeah thank you for here come on

yes girl like I loved it like it was just being I went to three different colleges this is my third and just being here I was like what I was like you actually care about me like you want me to pass like I'm not just another number in your class like I matter like and it's just the the like links these professors have gone for me and I'm just like what it's like no way like they it's like black education to its like core and I love it literally love it okay rated as an athlete you might have to cut this part out as an athlete I'm I'm gonna give it I'm gonna give it a four I'm not gonna lie okay and that's just fine but why

so they they they claim that they care about you as a person but they only care about you when you're performing as an athlete um like when I got concussed you know you're not supposed to leave concuss people in the dark or by themselves I was left in the training about by myself for four hours sleep with with a grade three concussion wow so wow yeah okay yes so but okay besides that part the girls and everything 10 out of 10 best friends for life bridesmaids love them to death oh I love that like I literally love that I'm such a big stan like a big fan of like a team that literally loves each other like yes I love That I love playing mama, like these are my kids, like I love yes, like come here give me a hug

and they, they love me and and accept me for who I am so I love them 10 times more literally, and I think we all love them so much yeah no I love that, so like have you like do you think you've grown as an athlete since beginning like your college sports career or do you think you've faltered a little bit? I feel like I feel like I've grown in certain aspects um I feel like pitching wise because I pitch and I hit, pitching wise I've definitely grown um I would not be the pitcher I am without the pitching coach I had last year, Coach Traylor when I was telling you so much. Shout out Coach Tray, she taught me so much.

So much information about pitching that I wouldn't even thought of because pitching is like 90% mental; it's not even about where the ball goes, hitting-wise, like I said, I had that whole thing. Um, so I feel like I stayed the same but with the coach that we have now, I've been working with her a lot this past couple weeks, because we just started last week, um, yeah, I've been working with her and she's corrected so much and helped me, like I feel like our whole team will be great hitters. Um, so I think it's really just based on right now and who I've had, but I feel like If you were to ask me this in a couple of months, but when I end the answer will be yes, I've definitely grown.

I love that and that and see, like we always want to grow; like we always want I feel so when we stop growing in our sport that's when it's time to hang it up, so I definitely want to grow, and I feel like I've been working with her for a long time, and I definitely appreciate the fact that you're just like, no, like I know in a couple of months, I'm gonna be able to be like straight up yes; like I'll I'll give you so much respect for that. But like, do you think playing for an HBCU like has made college sports easier or harder for you? I wouldn't say. it's made it easier or hard it's just made me look at sports very differently like people treat HBCU athletes different than they treat the PWI and regular athletes 100% online

in person just like I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know everything but I would just say it's it's made me realize how much people really care about certain things and people don't really care about HBCU but it's definitely made me realize as a person like black people are great like black black people are amazing like no matter what everyone else says online whatever like the HBCU's got it like some of these HBCUs are better than the PWIs, literally, shoot me if I'm wrong. Like, I don't know, you got girls coming here leaving those PWIs to experience like being welcomed, just by being black. Like, you people don't understand how much it means and how much it matters to be unapologetically yourself and not based off your skin.

I feel as though if I'm being honest, like white people won't understand that because they've never, they've never gotten that taken away from them before. And so it's just kind of like, no, this feels like freedom, this feels like I've stopped drowning finally, and I can breathe, and it's just amazing. I can't especially. coming from like where I come from Delaware it's very small it's mainly white people so like my travel team it was me and like two of the girls were the only black girls my high school team it was me and like one other girl the only predominantly black sport was basketball and then I played field hockey it was all white girls so like coming from that to here it's just a totally different environment and I just feel like it's just like it's just like it's just like it's just

feels so welcome like people not looking at me differently because oh I'm the I'm the big big black girl that can pitch black girl thanks and strong like next Wrap it up, yeah, thank you, yes. So, you mentioned your concussion. Did did you have another injury? Yeah, my coach hit me the same coach I was telling you about; she hit me in my ankle and I had um a bone bruise and my ankle got I was in a boot for three weeks, I was on crutches for three extra weeks. So, what did you learn from your injuries like what did your injuries like teach you? Because I was out for nine months because of my knee injury but like what did your injuries teach you, it was your ACL, oh no, no, no.

Like this was this was under my patella; it was like all my cartilage was like removed and my bones were like literally rubbing against each Other so, I was out for nine. Yeah, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. It taught me that this might sound crazy but sports are not everything. Like people are well, athletes are people before they're players 100. I didn't realize I learned so much about myself in the time that I was injured than the time that I was playing. Like I learned that I can do stuff without having the title Jada Evans softball player. It can just be just Jada Evans. I'm, I'm a human first, I'm a person first not just an athlete. I'm not just an athlete. I'm not just an athlete.

I don't even know how to describe like I just learned so much about myself in that time it was hard i'm not gonna lie to you, cried almost every single day but once i came back i realized like i don't be like yes i take it serious but like i need to take care of myself first and my mental health and my physical health before i even care about any of that softball sport so who helped you get through those tough times like who was your backbone in those times where you thought like it was just like what the heck those girls stop don't make me cry for real those girls like i, i'm not gonna lie Kendall I tried to quit like i try to convince my parents every year to quit especially after that concussion I was like I don't want to go back, but I'm scared.

I don't want to do this, but then I was like, 'I'm gonna leave my friends.' The friends I just made, I don't want to leave them, so every time I kept coming back. Like, I just kept making more and more on the team because they kept graduating and stuff. And they just kept talking me through it, like they would come sit in my room and just sit with me for hours, and just chill. And I'm bawling my eyes out, and they're just here chilling with me, helping me through the struggles because I was going through it mentally. They just helped me so much, like they don't even understand how they saved me without actually Saving me, I don't know, I'm gonna like tear up just thinking about it, but no, like that

girl, I literally have chill bumps, I wish you could see them, but um, so like, just coming from someone who had to deal with their injury mostly on their own, like you have no idea what your story is gonna mean to girls that think they're alone. Your story of getting through those tough times, speaking of those tough times, like what advice could you give like people struggling to push through injuries and like just what, and discovering themselves beyond their sport, there's always, there's always something after the sport, so even. If you get hurt, even if you fall down, even if you think, 'Oh I played horrible' or 'I got hurt, I can't do this anymore.' There's always something afterwards. So, what's uh, there's a verse Romans 8:1-8, uh, oh my gosh!

It was like the one the Good... oh my gosh! Now you got me thinking, um. I literally have a verse tattooed on me, Joshua 1:9, that is what helped me through everything. But the bad you're experiencing it will always get better. Like God, God will never put you through something that you can't handle and that you won't push through. And he's never gonna leave you alone and will always take you through it. That's that's my advice, that's that's my advice that that's All I can get that I I like that you said that because um I've been struggling with my life and I've been struggling recently myself so like even though like you're telling

your story, your story is helping me like want to continue to write mine because one thing that I've been sitting on is your harvest is ready, it's just waiting for you to take it and then you know a lot of people have misconceptions about oh like you yes you like you're praising God and you're needing God through the bad times but through the good times you also have to praise him and one thing I struggled with was like my this current season it was going good Scoring like we were, we were making a step in the right direction and then it was just like, it got bad; it got down like, I was thinking God, doing the good, doing the good, like.

But I was like, no, God, let me show you how strong I can be, and let me not call You, but God tells You to call on Him through the good and the bad. And I thought I was being this wrong, like strong soldier, fixing one thing at a time, and all I had to do was pull Him forward and tell Him so He starts fixing four, five, like six, seven things. He was like, 'See, walking with Me makes it easier.' He was like, 'I don't want You when You're perfect; I want You when You're unapologetically You'. And just hearing you say that, it's just kind of like, man... I've been in this stump like I've been stuck on a soccer stump. I'm like, 'What am I doing?' But, man, like, we were meant to have this conversation.

I don't know if you feel that as well, but like, you've just genuinely just given me a whole different perspective. And my family's been trying to tell me and show me, but like, hearing it from someone who can relate to me in the same position that I am... like, I'm like, 'Yeah, your story definitely has hit home for me.' Um, I didn't, I wasn't even like, I know I am emotional thinking about it, but I didn't even get deep into my faith until I got hurt. And then I was Always like, why, why me, like I've always been good. Like what's going on, why me? And then he was like, what do you mean? Why you? Like I'm not gonna leave you alone.

Like I'm gonna take you through it and I wouldn't put you in anything that you can't handle. And then I'm like, I'm not gonna leave you alone. Like on the outside, like that's in the past. I'm like, dang. Like all I really had to do was call on him and I would have been fine. Yeah, he was waiting there the whole time because I lost my dad when I was 15. And when I tell you, I became mean. I didn't trust people. Like my mom had to raise four kids on her own like it was just... it was just not my thing. I that's Why I told you when I was pushing my coach away, pushing my coach away because I never got to succeed with that father figure like achieve all the things we wanted to do.

My dad was my first soccer coach, like it was just it was like this whole thing and I was just pushing him away, pushing him away like 'You're not my father', this isn't that, like no get away from me in a sense. But he stayed still and I just needed that one person to stay still and I will forever thank him for everything he's done because it's like I was so lost like I was a child and he helped me like grow into a woman so it's just like I'm so blessed to see where it goes so. That's exciting, okay! One thing that's in your brain first thing that comes to your brain, what do you do when you're in a situation where you're in a situation where you're

in a situation where you're in a situation where you're in a situation where you're in a situation you want people to know before we get to our last question like what is one thing you want people to remember me by that's a great question like I've never even thought about that, oh my gosh! One thing that I want people to remember me, like here at Hampton when I leave or just in general if someone walks up to you and be like, they hear a quote they'd be like yeah, that's Jada Evans like what's one thing that like just people know is you okay one thing I have been hearing a lot is that I

am I'm very uh what's the word I'm very open to talk to I try again I want to be a sports psychologist I try to hear everyone you're not for real I'm so for real oh my gosh we're like meant to be oh my gosh literally like where do you want to go where do we working I right like we can go anywhere we can go anywhere we can go work together literally no I've just I've just been told that I'm very open to talk to I try to hear everyone out I try to be there for everyone because you never know what someone's going through like one Girl, her name is Janae. Shout out Janae! I don't know if she's gonna hear this shout out Janae.

My freshman year, she was one of the only people I could talk to. She always, she was always there for me, no matter what I was going through. She would come talk to me so that's what I'm trying to be right now like as a senior now but junior last year too, like always come talk to me. I'm always there for people, like I just want everyone to have someone to come be comfortable with and come talk to and never judge and just open. That is one thing I do want people to know me as: I love that, I love that! Okay, so our last question is presented by our sponsors, Cricket. wireless so shout out to cricket a proud supporter of hbc culture and community we love cricket how has going to an hbcu influenced the person you are today

wow I haven't even thought about that but it has changed me for the better like looking back my freshman year to now I'm a whole different person like she would be scared of me right now like yeah she'd be terrified like I don't even know how to explain it like oh my god gosh being being at an hbcu like you said it taught me to be unapologetically myself and no matter what anyone says like I am me and you can never take that away from me no you can take away softball you can take Away this degree, but you can't take away me, my soul, my heart, and you can't take away me being unapologetically black. You cannot take that away from me ever, climb ever, ever. You can't oh my gosh, literally!

Like I wish freshman year me is looking at me like girl, you're literally the girl we always talked about. We couldn't be, yeah, now we are her; we're her, yes. Like, who is that? Literally, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your experience with us, Jada. Like, you have no idea what your story is gonna do for other athletes, and I'm so excited for them to hear. Like, they're gonna be so blessed. I'm so blessed to be in your presence. I'm so blessed to be in your presence because it's just like, I'm definitely gonna take this and use it tomorrow, so thank you so much for joining us, thank you, thank you for having me.

Like when you texted me, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is a spam, there's no way,' and then I kept texting you and I was like, 'I want to be on this so bad, yes, like come on. You were just calling to me; I was like, 'Her, yeah.' And I've been watching all your podcasts and everything, like I love this; I love what you're doing, and I love that you're still playing, too, playing and doing this crazy stuff while hearing everybody else's story. Literally. Love it!

Listeners, thanks for tuning in. We've got tons more great guests, and we'll continue talking about HBCUs from all angles. So, make sure you rate, review, and subscribe so you don't miss out on more Echoes of the Yard presented by Cricket Wireless, bye!