Josey White Finds Home Away From Home At Southern Utah

When Josey White suggested to her mom that her brother should enroll at Southern Utah University to join her there, it was meant to be a joke. But it was not taken that way. Instead, her whole family moved from Nevada to Cedar City, Utah and they’re now just down the street from her at college.

The move may not necessarily be surprising when you take into account the reason why White decided to transfer to SUU in the first place. The redshirt sophomore had just come off a Women’s College World Series appearance with the Gophers from the University of Minnesota and had spent two seasons there. Ultimately, though, White wanted to be closer to her family in Nevada and decided that becoming a Thunderbird would be the perfect way to do that. In fact, according to White, she was so set on going to SUU that playing on the softball team wasn’t even a necessity for her.

“Even if I don’t get to play, I’ll offer to be a manager or something. I just want to be at SUU,” said White, describing her thought process.

She had emailed head coach Don Don Williams previously and told her of her decision to transfer and her desire to play for SUU. Not long afterward, Williams called her up and talked about the team and her vision for the program, and everything Williams said, according to White, sat really well with her.

Months later, and White's decision to enroll at SUU and play for its softball team is paying off in a big way for the Thunderbirds. In just 15 games, White already has 21 hits, 21 RBI, seven home runs and is batting .447 with a slugging percentage of .979. As to the key for her success so far, White said it definitely didn’t happen overnight.

“You know, it’s been years and years of work, there’s never just one thing that’s helped me,” White said. “I’ve had a ton of great coaches over the years and I just have to give it all to them. It was definitely a process to get to where I am today.”

Some of those years included playing with and against players that she is teammates with right now. According to White, she can count up to six players on the roster she was familiar with before college.

“It was kind of like I was coming back to the good old days,” said White.

More importantly, in White’s eyes, she is now surrounded by family in more ways than one. She can always go and see her family by blood anytime she wants—her mom, dad and brother. Her family on the diamond—all her teammates, new and old, and coaches—create an atmosphere that is, in her words, “very personable.”

As for personal goals for the ongoing 2021 season, the redshirt sophomore wants to not only think about the game, but also about those watching it.

“My ultimate personal goal this season is to give everything I got and just to have fun because there are so many little girls out there that have gotten into the game of softball and I want them to know that the game is fun and it doesn’t matter what the outcome is,” said White. “At the end of the day, as long as you’re having fun out there on the field, you're doing what you love.”

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