CARDA Ally

General
JAPAN STINT
In 2019 she began playing in the Japan Women's Softball League for Honda Reverta. She continued to play for the side in the 2020/21 season, before returning to the United States of America in late April 2021 to begin preparations for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 27 Apr 2021; Instagram profile, 20 Sep 2019)

THIS IS US
In June 2020 she was among the full squad of 18 Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs players who quit the team following its first National Pro Fastpitch [NPF] match after the league's comeback from the initial COVID-19 lockdown. The entire squad quit the team after a tweet on the Dawgs' official Twitter account was sent by their general manager to US President Donald Trump about players standing for the national anthem. The players formed a new NPF team, called 'This Is Us', with the goal of raising awareness about racial injustice. "This Is Us. We want to continue to play, but most importantly, we want change. We will stand up for what we believe in. And I wholeheartedly believe in [This Is] Us. It is time for change and empowerment. And we are here to make that happen in our softball community." As of 2021 she is a co-owner of This Is Us. (thisisussoftball.com, 01 Oct 2020; yahoo.com, 14 Jun 2020; nytimes.com, 24 Jun 2020; espn.com, 23 Jun 2020; apnews.com, 23 Jun 2020; Instagram profile, 12 Apr 2021)

NATIONAL TEAM JOURNEY
She was named an alternate for the US team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, which followed her being a member of the US 'B' team in 2018. She says these experiences made her re-evaluate her approach to being an athlete. "It was tough when I didn't make the 'A' team two summers ago [2018]. And this past summer [2019], I was an alternate, so I had to take it upon myself to get to the next level. I've definitely matured as an athlete. Honestly, I'm super proud of the person I've become in the past year and a half and how I've stuck with it and stayed positive." (softballamerica.com, 14 Oct 2019)

UTILITY PLAYER
She enjoys being a utility player for the US team. "I'm good when I'm bouncing around a little bit, rather than sticking with one thing and only thinking about that one thing. It helps me and opens up my focus a little bit. I take the most pride in the way I work out. For me, personally, it gives me the confidence on the field to know that I've put myself in the best position to succeed. I do hit, play first and pitch, so in my opinion, I need to be in the best shape possible." (softballamerica.com, 14 Oct 2019)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
After graduating from the University of California Los Angeles [UCLA] in 2015, she worked for four seasons at California Polytechnic State University from 2016-2019 as the softball team's pitching and assistant coach. She has also run UCLA softball clinics and camps, and volunteered at educational program I'm Going To College, sports program Prime Time Games, and within schools. (gopoly.com, 01 Dec 2019; softballamerica.com, 14 Oct 2019; seniorclassaward.com, 01 Jan 2013)

NPF HISTORY
She signed with the Texas Charge of the National Pro Fastpitch [NPF] league in 2017, and became a free agent after the Charge folded. She signed with the Chicago Bandits in 2018 and signed a one-year extension with the team in 2019. In addition to playing, she also worked as part of the Bandits' pitching staff. (chicagobandits.com, 01 Dec 2019)