“I want to do it for my family, and the culture that Arizona State has, and for what Arizona is known for.” – Tanya Windle
ASU softball can be broken down into three Ps: practice, play, and passion. There is no better embodiment of these traits than junior Tanya Windle, but for her, you might have to add one more “P.”
Peoria is the town that Windle called home, leaving her deeply rooted in Arizona since first stepping onto the field.
“ASU was my first ever softball camp,” Windle said. “At the time, I was 10 years old, and I knew. I was like, yep, this is where I want to go. Granted, I did go to the school ‘down south’ for a couple of camps here and there, but I knew I loved Arizona, the state itself, so I knew I wanted to stay home.”
With a love for the landscape and fanatic family in the stands, Windle originally intended to stay local, confirming that intent on the very first day of her commitment eligibility.
With her pen in hand and hat on the table, Windle scribbled her name onto a piece of paper, confirming her intent to attend Grand Canyon University for softball.
From dreams of representing the state of Arizona as a child to fulfilling them as an adult, Windle’s life couldn’t have seemed more on track.
Sadly, the same person who brought her to the school would, in fact, be exiting before her enrollment, leaving Windle with only a decision to make: stay home or take a shot at something bigger.
“I was committed to Grand Canyon on September 1 when I could commit, and that was when Ann Pierson was there,” Windle said. “Then the coaching change happened, and I opened my recruiting up. I knew I still wanted to stay closer to home, but I did go to Utah Tech for my freshman year.”
Thus, a master plan was born beyond the borders of desert sunshine, but with the end goal in mind and a short vacation in between, Windle remained steadfast on a return stay.
“I knew my potential going there and what I could do there in order to come home. I knew that going into that program, I could do a lot of damage, do many great things, and leave a legacy there.”
Brushing off the dirt from 16 stolen bases after 76 hits and a .432 batting average, Windle turned in her red and blue Utah Tech jersey. After just one year, she returned home to ASU to fulfill a dream she had been picturing since she was 10 years old.
“I don’t think of just wearing ‘Arizona State,’” Windle said. “I think of carrying the state of Arizona with me and just being known as…
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