USU junior making most of her third softball season
Coming out of her high school career having earned second-team all-league honors both her junior and senior year, Paxton Provost made her way to Utah State to conquer and become part of a program on the rise.
Provost is in the midst of her third season playing first base for Aggie softball.
In her first season as an Aggie, Provost acquired a starting position in 41 games and led the team in putouts. She had the second-highest batting average, coming in at .304 with 35 hits, four of which were home runs, 18 RBIs, and 17 runs.
Her sophomore year, starting 40 games of the season, she once again led the defense in putouts. Provost batted .256 ending the season with a five-game hitting streak. She walked out of her second season with 30 hits, five of them being home runs, 22 RBIs, and 17 runs.
“She definitely has a grit to her,” sophomore Brina Buttacavoli said. “She’s not going to give up on anything. If you say she can’t do it, she’s gonna show you she can. It may not be the prettiest, but she’ll get the job done.”
As any college student, Provost found herself struggling with school, but managed to end last semester with a 4.0 GPA.
“When coach tried to sit here to tell her ‘hey, you need to get better with your schoolwork,’ she’s gotten better with her schoolwork,” said junior Alleyah Aremendariz. “She’s found trouble along the way, and she’s overcome it. And she’s overcome it very well and exceeded who she was supposed to be.”
Buttacavoli says that Provost has taken on the mom role, always getting breakfast for the team and making sure everybody is comfortable.
Aremndriz and Buttacavoli both agree that Provost is the one that is going to have your back. On the field or off the field, she’s there for you.
“Paxton is the one in the dugout that’s loud,” Buttacavoli said. “She kind of just helps you along the way. She’s always just there to listen and just be a role model.”
Armendariz says that Provost is a great person and an even better teammate. Although the season isn’t going the way Provost had hoped, Armendariz said she has never once complained.
“She’s never once showed any sort of negative attitude in the dugout or anything like that,” Armendariz said. “She’s always up on the fence, always cheering, always giving high fives.”
“On the field, she refuses to give up,” Buttacavoli said. “She will not take no for an answer. She’s swinging for the fence constantly. She’s the one that’s gonna get the job done. That’s just Paxton. She has a huge heart, but she’s no pushover. She’s a strong person.”
After two years of starting almost every game of the season, Provost hasn’t seen the field as often as she had hoped so far in the 2016 season. But it’s not stopping her. She is most excited to see how this program progresses.
“What we’ve been doing are some great things with this program and we’re setting the table now for what’s to come in the future,” Provost said. “In the big scheme of things, that’s awesome because looking back when I’m an alum coming back to the field and being like ‘I was a part of that. I got to be there for this change,’ it’s going to be a surreal feeling.”
Provost isn’t ready to hang up her cleats just yet. She’s working hard to earn her place on the field and can’t wait to go all out next season for her senior year.
“I just want to keep thriving, keep trying to find new ways to get better whether offensively or defensively,” Provost said. “You can never stop getting better.”
— kenna.cook@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @kenaacook