The CT Softball Blog

WATERBURY—Ariana Rodriguez never wanted to become a statistic.

Not after watching her parents become parents while they were still teenagers.

Not after spending part of her childhood with her father in jail.

Not after growing up in apartments before her family finally found stability in a house.

Not after seeing firsthand how quickly life could become difficult when money was tight and every dollar mattered.

Instead, Rodriguez chose a different path.

And now, after years of balancing softball, school, work and family responsibilities, the recent graduate of Crosby High School, who also spent three years at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School, is headed to Post University to continue her softball career and become the first person in her immediate family to play a college sport.

“I just wanted to make my parents proud,” Rodriguez said.

That simple goal fueled everything.

Long before she became a three-time All-Naugatuck Valley League second-team selection and helped Crosby High reach the state tournament for the first time in more than 30 years, Rodriguez was simply a seven-year-old who brought home a flyer from school and joined East Mountain Softball League.

Travel ball wasn’t an option, at least not yet. Not because she didn’t love the game. Not because she lacked the talent.

Her family simply didn’t have the resources, and nobody really knew how to navigate that world.

Still, softball gave her something much bigger than trophies.

It gave her friendships that have lasted more than a decade.

It gave her a purpose.

And perhaps most importantly, it gave her hope.

Life wasn’t always easy.

Her parents had her older brother when they were just 18 years old. Two years later, Ariana arrived. Her father spent time in jail when she was young. Stability was hard to find. The family lived in apartments before finally moving into their first house when she was around 13 years old.

Watching her parents fight through those struggles left an impression.

“I always wanted to get money and help my parents,” Rodriguez said.

As she got older, that desire became reality.

By age 16, she had her first job. During the winter, she often worked late shifts at a restaurant, getting home around midnight before waking up for school the next morning.

At the same time, she was an honor student at WAMS, taking UConn classes. Because she was districted to attend Crosby High if she hadn’t picked her private school, she was allowed to play volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring with the Bulldogs. She walked home from school every day because she lived just inside the bus radius.

Once she got her driver’s license, she helped shuttle her younger brother to basketball practices and other activities.

Then, shortly before her senior year, her parents separated.

Rodriguez stayed home with her father and two brothers. Along with her older brother, she helped with bills and took on even more responsibility around the house.

Through it all, softball remained the constant.

“It kept me focused,” she said.

Eventually, Rodriguez found her way to travel softball with the Cheshire Wildcats. It was there that she began to realize college softball might actually be possible.

There was just one problem.

Nobody in the family had ever done it before.

“There wasn’t really a roadmap,” she said.

The recruiting process proved frustrating. Camps came and went. Coaches stopped responding. Conversations that seemed promising suddenly disappeared.

As April of her senior year arrived, Rodriguez still had nowhere to go.

She refused to panic.

Instead, she kept working.

When Post University entered the picture, Rodriguez sent nearly 40 video clips accumulated over the years.

What the coaches saw was exactly what she’d spent her whole life trying to become.

Someone who could do whatever was needed.

Someone willing to outwork everyone.

Someone who understood sacrifice.

On June 1, the same day Crosby opened the state tournament, Rodriguez officially committed to Post.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I did it.”

The moment represented far more than a commitment announcement.

It represented every walk home from school.

Every late-night shift. Every early morning. Every dollar saved. Every ride given to her little brother. Every sacrifice her parents made. Every obstacle placed in front of her.

And every promise she made to herself that her story would be different.

A three-time All-NVL selection, Rodriguez helped lead Crosby back to the state tournament for the first time in more than three decades. She became one of the program’s leaders and made sure younger players were treated better than she had been when she first arrived.

She hopes to continue doing that long after her softball career ends.

Whether she chooses nursing or a career helping children in the Department of Children and Families system, Rodriguez wants to make a difference.

“I want to help kids,” she said. “Everyone has their stories.”

She understands that better than most.

For years, Ariana Rodriguez has simply done what she had to do.

Walking home from school. Working late shifts. Helping pay bills. Helping raise a younger brother. Becoming an honor student.

Becoming a three-time All-NVL selection.

Leading Crosby back to the state tournament.

And now, becoming a college softball player.

Not bad for a little girl who once brought home a flyer from school and decided to give softball a try.

Love Stories Like This?

Get Connecticut’s best softball features, breaking news, recruiting updates and exclusive interviews delivered to your inbox every Friday morning. Subscribe to the CT Softball Blog Weekly.