FAIRLEA, WV- There is not a lot that has not already been said about recently graduated Greenbrier East Spartan Josi Ervin.
Ervin, the recipient of numerous athletic and academic awards over her Spartan career, finished her Greenbrier East softball season a few weeks ago when the Lady Spartans finished one game shy of reaching their first ever state tournament berth.
It is safe to say that without Ervin on the roster, the Spartans probably do not get to that point in the season as she controlled a plethora of games from the mound with her small in stature, but powerful left-handed pitching arm. It is also safe to say that she will go down, at least up to this point, as the best softball pitcher in Spartan history, and East has had many good players over their entire tenure which makes that feat extremely impressive.
But Ervin, also an all-conference volleyball player, is too humble to take too much credit. She is a hard worker that puts her faith first and her family a close second. Off the field, she was a terrific student and is a model citizen in the community, and it’s that community and her teammates that she will miss the most.
“I will definitely miss the girls and the memories made the most,” Ervin said.
“I have played with many of those girls for multiple years and now I have to leave all of that and go to a new team. I will also miss playing in front of our home crowd. Seeing everyone in the community show up to watch us play is just so special knowing the community is behind us in every game. The success was rewarding because I have worked so hard at this sport to earn this success, but I couldn’t have done it without my team and God. Everything I do is because God has given me the ability to work hard and be successful,” Ervin said gratefully.
Ervin finished her career on the mound with 423 career strikeouts, believed to be the most in Spartan history (no record books), and her low ERA and team winning percentage are why many view her as the best to step on the mound at Spartan Field. Ervin is just happy to be mentioned in that regard.
“It’s gratifying to know that people think of me in this way. We had a lot of success as a team, and I feel that I was successful at East. But I work hard for this success, and it isn’t just handed to me. Being in a cage at least five times a week for a few hours and dialing in on what I am struggling with at the time,” she stated.
All those numbers and wins garnered the Concord commit second team all-state honors for the second consecutive year, but although thankful, Ervin was not satisfied with that selection, especially after being told she made the first-team while playing in the North-South game in Buffalo earlier this month.
“I was grateful that I was second-team, but I wouldn’t say that I was happy with it,” Ervin said.
“While sure, it is a great achievement, but it wasn’t my goal. My goal was to be first-team and that was what I worked so hard for, but unfortunately fell short for the second year in a row,” she added.
However, Ervin’s achievements are to be celebrated and a roster spot at Concord will be just that, a reward. But Ervin also knows that college is a different level of play, and she has an idea what her offseason focus will be before she enrolls in Athens.
“I am really going to focus on my spin and movement. Selling pitches to batters to make them swing and miss. When I get to college, the strike zone gets smaller and I probably won’t get some of those corner calls that I get in high school, so I really have to work on breaking pitches off the zone,” Ervin explained.
With Ervin, it is not just the hard work that made her great, but also the influence of her family. Her mom, Jen, does Gamechanger for the Spartans, while her father, Tony, is an assistant coach. Her younger sister, Hailey, is a rising junior who will probably see an all-state selection for herself as well in the next two years, and her younger brother Peyton has all the tools to make a sports impact at the school when he gets older. And Ervin knows without them, nothing would have been possible.
“My mom and dad have obviously been my biggest fans through it all. They started out coaching me when I was six (years old) in coach pitch and they put me in travel ball. They have pushed me to work hard every day and never settle. They have also given me every opportunity possible. From going to camps, to playing travel ball, all of it. They have been there for it all. I am so thankful they never let me give up. When I got cut from the team in sixth grade, I wanted to quit softball altogether because I thought I wasn’t good enough, but thankfully they never let me quit and pushed me to work hard and get better,” Ervin said thankfully.
So, as she moves on from East to a bigger stage, Ervin left a message to her teammates that will return in 2024.
“If I could give my team any advice, I would tell them to have fun with it. Enjoy every practice, every game and all of it because it’s over all too soon,” Ervin said.
“Never take any of it for granted because you will miss it. Lastly, I would tell them that wins and losses do not matter. Don’t be so focused on winning that you miss out on the fun of the game. You play this game because you love it and have fun playing it so don’t ruin that because your focused on winning,” Ervin concluded.
