When first-year Pitt softball pitcher Gwen Sparks steps into the circle, she plays for more than the Panther logo on the front of her jersey.
“I’m deaf, so I always have a reason for me to prove [to] myself that I can do this,” Sparks said. “To prove that anyone can do anything, so like play sports, in order to show people … [who don’t] have disabilities that anyone with disabilities can compete at the same level as them.”
Sparks was born deaf, but it wasn’t until she was three years old that the doctors realized she couldn’t hear. She quickly had cochlear implant surgery to restore her hearing, but it takes time and practice to translate the soundwaves into words.
“I took years and years of speech therapy in order to improve my speech, to communicate with other people and also learn how to do sign language,” Sparks said. “I stopped doing speech therapy when I was 13 years old, and there’s definitely [been] some ups and downs.”
For Sparks, hearing becomes even more challenging on the softball field.
“I try and communicate on the field with coaches, with the umpires, also with teammates,” Sparks said. “Communicating is definitely a challenge I had to overcome throughout these years of playing.”
“With college, it’s also really difficult because the crowd is really loud, and a lot of people [are] there and there’s just constant noise,” Sparks said. “Some of that can be really overwhelming for me.”
Sparks grew up with three older brothers who played football, which attributes her competitive spirit to their childhood rivalries.
“[They] helped me to be the person that I am right now, like the toughness, the competition, the passion I have right now is because of them,” Sparks said. “They’re very supportive of me and always watching my games on TV … I’m super strong, I’m super tough because of them.”
In addition to softball, Sparks played basketball, volleyball, tennis, and swam competitively at Notre Dame High School in Portsmouth, Ohio. She found that the various team environments helped to expand her comfort level with various coaching and communication styles.
Sparks credits her time as a multisport athlete in helping her learn different types of leaders, time management and different competition, which she attributes to her immediate comfort when joining Pitt softball as a first-year player.
“It was really easy for me to fit in this team,” Sparks said. “I know different types of people, how to fit in, how to talk to people, how to talk to different types of coaches.”
Sparks also found that the mechanics and techniques from her other sports often translated to her strength in the pitching circle.
“[Swimming] really helped me, like, my muscles, the way I can activate them,” Sparks said.
She found that the push off of the swimming blocks was similar to her push off in softball, winding up to build momentum off the mound.
Sparks certainly found success on the court and pool. She represented her team in the OHSAA swimming meet during her senior year, breaking eight school records along the way and earning conference swimmer of the year three times. She also took home all-district honors as a member of the volleyball team.
On the softball field, Sparks broke her high school’s strikeout and home run records while leading them to a regional championship game appearance. She finished her high school career with a 43-7 record, 17 no-hitters and a perfect game.
Sparks explained that her success on the softball field helped to lead the way for underclassmen on her high school team.
“I’m really close with the younger girls,” Sparks said. “It was really cool to see them grow and take some advice from me … especially as a person with a disability.”
In her senior season, Sparks threw 226 strikeouts and held a 1.1 ERA. At the plate, she had a .447 batting average with 12 home runs, leading to a second-team All-Ohio and first-team All-District honors.
Despite her athletic success across the board, Sparks knew she wanted to play softball in college since she started playing as a young girl.
“I started playing softball when I was five years old,” Sparks said. “What made me fall in love with it was the competition of the sport — I was very competitive when I was younger. I was just always wanting to win … I hated losing.”
When the high school recruitment process began, Sparks was invited to a Pitt softball camp by associate head coach Lacy Schurr. In just one visit, the city and University left a lasting impression.
“I fell in love with the city. I love how there’s so many things to do, and the culture, and especially coming from the small town, it’s definitely a huge adjustment for me. Like, there’s a lot of people, a lot of buildings. But the different types of … food and things to do,” Sparks said, “I was just like, I want that.”
The Pitt softball team dynamic Sparks has joined is special. To Sparks, it feels like she is a part of a family.
“We definitely went through some ups and downs, and we went through tough losses and close losses as well, and they helped us grow stronger as a team,” Sparks said. “We overcame these challenges, and we faced adversity and came back stronger.”
At nearly all of their home games, the Panthers welcome local softball teams to the stands, with some even standing on the field for lineup announcements and the national anthem. Sparks does not take this lightly.
“My goal for the team is to be a good example for future generations,” Sparks said. She wants the young girls to remember the Panther logo and say, “‘I was at that game.’ Like, ‘I was at Pitt softball. That was the most fun game that I had.’ Like, ‘I love watching those girls.’”
She hopes the aspiring softball players will remember the Panthers’ play, passion, fight and drive to play when they come to catch a game.
Sparks has her sights set on success for Pitt and the future of the softball program.
“I want to be that team that makes history,” Sparks said. “[To win] the ACC tournament, it’d be really cool, and possibly making it to a World Series. That’d be really cool for me and the team as well.”
Her ambitions, however, extend beyond the softball field.
“The goal for after the college softball years are done, [is] I will be able to learn … from past mistakes I’ve had in my future career,” Sparks said. “Making more memories and making more relationships, connections with different people, just making history and leaving a great example for younger girls.”
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