Refusing to be outworked

Six years ago, she was the “scrawny little seventh grader” who joined the team for the playoff push. Her exploits in the pitching circle carried her team all the way to a state runner-up trophy.

Fast forward to today, and she’s a vibrant, confident senior, attempting to lead her team to one final postseason run. She’s doing it this year in all facets, from leadership to pitching to hitting.

Spain Park’s Annabelle Widra has long established herself as one of the top softball players in Alabama, if not the nation. She has been a vital player in a Jags program that has advanced to the state tournament each year she has been on the team, earning two runner-up finishes along the way.

The ultimate prize in high school ball — a state championship — is the only thing that has eluded her to this point.

While she would love nothing more than that in her final season at Spain Park, she has made it a point to take it all in.

“I really challenged myself this year just to enjoy every moment I get to suit up in a Spain Park uniform because I know as each week and each day goes by, my time is less and less here. It’s getting real now,” Widra said.

Her time in the program has been filled with the highs and lows that come with any journey in life, but she hopes to finish things on a high note.

Never satisfied

To the people that know her, one of the most noticeable things about Widra is an insatiable desire for improvement. That has been evident since the day she began playing softball.

Jeramie Burns, who owns Burns Sports Academy in Homewood, has worked with Widra since she was 10 years old. Despite her being a natural right-hander, Burns helped her learn how to hit from the left side of the plate as well. 

Widra has become a better hitter with each passing year and eclipsed double-digit home runs in her final school season. She has worked to improve her speed by running indoor track for six years. Her dominance in the circle has never wavered throughout her high school tenure.

“Her work ethic, how she does things, she goes above and beyond anything I’ve had,” Burns said.

Widra gets up before the sun rises at least four days a week, determined to let no one outwork her.

“She gets up knowing somebody in the world could possibly be better than her, and she won’t have it,” Burns said.

Widra said she learned that drive from her older brother, Tristan, who played at Samford and had a brief foray into independent league baseball.

“My brother works harder than anybody I’ve ever met,” she said. “He’s the best example of somebody that has been told, ‘you can’t do it,’ and goes out to prove them wrong.”

Finding the right fit

The college softball recruiting rules changed a few years ago, limiting the ability of college coaches to contact prospective student-athletes until their junior year. 

Widra was caught in the middle of that process, committing to Oklahoma State as a freshman but eventually backing off that and reopening her recruitment.

She eventually settled on the University of Michigan, one of the premier college programs in the country. Widra credited Carol Hutchins and the Wolverines coaching staff for making her feel at home up there.

She is a versatile ball player, capable of playing each facet of the game at a high level. She excels defensively, has improved immensely as a hitter over the years and has been an elite pitcher at the high school level for many years.

Widra said Hutchins told her she would get an opportunity to do it all.

“It’s really going to be a great test for me to come in and do my best to be myself and just enjoy the game and impact it as much as possible,” Widra said.

Widra is one of two teammates that will play in the Big 10 conference next year, as outfielder Lydia Coleman has signed with Penn State. First baseman Chloe Brittain is the third senior for the Jags. To top it off, Widra will now enjoy a fun rivalry with her high school coach, C.J. Urse Hawkins, who played at Ohio State.

“Michigan is getting an awesome student-athlete,” Urse Hawkins said. “I can’t wait to watch her on ESPN. She’s extremely versatile and will be truly missed here at Spain Park.” 

Tough endings

Widra’s high school career has had its fair share of tough-to-stomach moments, ones that motivate and provide life lessons.

During her seventh grade season, Spain Park rallied from the loser’s bracket to a runner-up finish in Class 7A. The following year, the Jags made another state tournament push. In 2018, Widra’s freshman year, the Jags ripped off three wins at state to reach the final and were a few outs away from a state title, but Fairhope rallied to win that game and the next one to snatch the championship.

Does letting that opportunity slip away still eat at her?

“Of course it does,” Widra said. “Yes, it still stings. Yes, I still talk about it at my dinner table. But it’s a season I will remember forever.”

The 2019 made another state tournament run, but the 2020 team serves as another source of motivation for Widra and the Jags. Last spring, Spain Park was 21-0 and routinely dominated opponents before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She put together a tremendous 21-game stretch of her own, posting a 9-0 record with a 0.53 earned run average in the circle. At the plate, she hit for a .549 average and slugged eight home runs.

Widra will always remember that team fondly. She is quite confident the Jags would have gone on to win the program’s first state title. To take it a step further, she thinks the team could have posted an undefeated campaign.

“Last year’s team was amazing,” Widra said. “You had four seniors (Alexis Anderson, Mackenzie Thompson, Taylor Harrington and Lindsay Parker) who were in it every second of the season, and they were going to do everything they could to be the best teammates. It was just special. We all clicked.”

Urse Hawkins said Widra is an extraordinary athlete who works extremely hard at her craft. “She’s been very dependable for six years and always brings her A-game," Urse Hawkins said. "She’s a relentless competitor."

Widra is confident and hopeful the 2021 team will pin its story to a different chapter, one with a happier ending. Being the competitor she is, a state championship ring would be the icing on the cake to an illustrious and unforgettable high school career.

“I’m taking it day by day,” she said, “and enjoying the moment. If we’ll just soak it all in, we’ll have a good shot.”