Abby Trahan is back home.

If you don’t know the name, you will soon. The incoming freshman from Kaplan spent the summer traveling all over the country, from California to Texas, from Kansas City to Tulsa.

The 14-year-old pitcher was a youngster on the Wichita Lady Mustangs’ team as they traveled to California and played in front of several college coaches.

They also traveled to Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime,” Trahan said. “I am really grateful for the chance.”

Trahan’s father, Glen, has been extremely supportive. “I go out there and catch for her every day,” he explained.

“I pushed her. She wants it badly, but she’s gotta work every day for it.” Trahan appreciates her father’s help, saying she wouldn’t be where she is today with it.

Her mother, Sue, doesn’t sit idly by either, but she describes her feelings as “more motherly.”

“I was always more worried about her safety when she was traveling,” she said.

Despite being 14 and playing on a team with 16-year-olds, Trahan said there was no animosity. “They accepted me pretty quickly, like I’d been playing with them for years,” she said.

When she was younger, Trahan enjoyed watching softball on TV. “Watching it, seeing how it was played, that’s what inspired me to play,” she explained.

Pitching looked like the most fun to her. “It looked really interesting,” she said. “I just picked up on it.”

Because she is so young, she has many chances to play for the team again. The opportunities she’s had before even starting high school are a huge help to her ambitions.

“I am definitely looking forward to next year,” she said.

For now, it’s time to start school and work toward the softball season, which will begin in the Spring semester.