For Aubrey Mansfield, softball is her life. She started playing when she was eight years old with her younger cousin and never looked back. It was in her blood, from her grandfather to her father, and now to her. While doing gymnastics and Taekwondo growing up, there was just something about softball that made it stand out above all else.
“It was always an outlet for me. I was always able to put my emotions down in the field,” Mansfield said.
Another easy decision for the Stow, Ohio native was where to go to school. The second she stepped foot onto Slippery Rock University’s campus, she knew it was the one.
“It was the perfect size. It wasn’t too big, wasn’t too small. The campus was absolutely beautiful,” she said.
Slippery Rock was not the only option for the Stow-Munroe Falls High School alum. While looking at schools like Kent State University and the University of Akron, the vision stretched beyond her hometown.
“I originally wanted to go to Tennessee,” she said. “My dream is to live there.”
But when you know, you know. Mansfield ended up in Pennsylvania. Soon, Slippery Rock started to feel like home and she was settling in. Making her first start just two games into her freshman year, Mansfield continued to thrive from there. She ended the 2023 season with 47 starts between third base and designated player, and her growth did not stop there.
As a sophomore, Mansfield was voted in by her teammates as team captain.
“To know that I have the full trust of my teammates, and knowing that they know my intentions are pure, leading with love,” she said, “I feel like I’ve been able to help develop the culture of the team.”
Being put into a leadership position so young can be hard, but Mansfield is not known to back down from anything.
“It was challenging at first with the voice aspect and being confident,” she said. “But my coach helped me a lot through that, and she told me, ‘You’re in that position for a reason.’”
Head coach Stacey Rice did not doubt that Mansfield would take this position and make it her own.
“On the field, she leads defensively. She’s one of our best third basemen out there,” Rice said. “Offensively, she’s great in doubles and runs batted in (RBI). She bats third in our lineup. She’s clutch.”
While having that responsibility early on can be a struggle, it was one that Mansfield adjusted quickly.
“Having that role so early on has taught her and helped her to develop and grow in her leadership skills,” Rice said.
For Mansfield, being named team captain meant everything.
“I’m very blessed,” she said.
While learning how to lead her team, she was also working to improve her game.
“She’s one of those players who is working hard all the time,” Coach Rice said.
On her many improvements, Mansfield has gone from just being able to hit inside pitches to now spreading the field. She’s gone from what Rice calls a “red light runner” to now a “green light runner,” gaining speed and the ability to steal bases and be aggressive.
“She’s a competitor, a sponge,” Rice said. “Always growing and wants to learn.”
Not only has her gameplay increased, but so have her confidence and communication skills. Mansfield would say that it is her biggest improvement.
“My confidence in everything, not just in my softball career,” she said has grown. “It’s definitely helped me find my voice outside of softball.”
And she has a voice that people listen to. She is the type of athlete that people look up to. The underclassmen, especially, see her as someone they can turn to. Her coach sees that as one of her greatest qualities.
“A lot of younger athletes, especially when they’re making this transition, go to her because she’s experienced it all,” Rice said.
Whether Mansfield played the game of her life or had a tough showing, she puts on that face and cheers for her team.
“She’s not one of those leaders who are only leading when she’s doing well. She’s leading all the time,” Rice said. “And that’s a testament to a great captain and a great leader.”
While she may look put together, like everyone else, she goes through rough patches. It is how she pushes through those that sets her apart. Even through the losses, keeping her identity separate from how she plays the game is crucial.
“When I was younger, a strikeout might have led to a crash out. And now, it’s like you learn to develop your mental game throughout your career,” Mansfield said.
One thought rings in her mind to keep her relaxed and in a flow:
“Tomorrow, you wake up, and get to do it all again, and it doesn’t matter what happened yesterday.”
While the mindset helps, Mansfield is also a very superstitious athlete.
“I have to go to a certain spot in warm-ups. I have to start first and finish last. I scream running down the team’s line,” she said.
From her clothing objects like her arm sleeve, to her hair updos, her game does not feel right without them. And it is proven in her performance.
In her sophomore and junior seasons, she started every game. She tallied seven total home runs, 59 RBIs, and 27 multi-hit games.
Now the senior ranks fifth in SRU history in games played, sixth in RBIs, seventh in starts, eighth in runs, and 19th in home runs. Along with the numerous accolades she has already racked up, Mansfield now holds first place in SRU history in doubles, having broken that record just two weeks ago.
From the beginning of the season, it was in the back of her mind that she was close to topping that number, but she was not letting it mess with her head.
“I knew I was one away, and we had three game days. I was just waiting,” Mansfield said. “Then obviously when I’m not thinking about it is when it happened, and it was just awesome.”
All of her hard work has paid off, and her coach can attest to that. She sets the standard.
“If you’re just showing up for practice, you’re really not doing enough,” Rice said.
That is not Mansfield. She goes above and beyond, doing additional hitting and extra lifting. She even catches in the bullpen for the pitches.
“We only have three catchers and seven pitchers,” Rice said. “We have quite a few kids who need to step up, and she is one of the first people whom everybody calls.”
“I’m just trying to do what I need to do to help my team win,” Mansfield said.
It is not always about being the best player or producing the most runs. Softball is a team sport, and that is what she loves most about it. Her team is a family.
“We have a lot of personalities, and it all meshes together perfectly,” Mansfield said. “Our team culture is definitely special.”
It is a team that loves each other for who they are, not how they play.
Softball has created life-long bonds that Mansfield still carries with her years later, from teammates in her eight-and-under team who are still some of her best friends today, to the new friendships she has built with her collegiate team.
Some of her best memories have been bonding with teammates off the field. She spent lots of her free time with three specific seniors last season: Arielle Brown, Naomi Childs and Emma Kennedy.
“They were definitely a close bond for me,” she said. “We would always go on hikes or these little nature adventures.”
But one of her favorite memories will forever reside on the field. That very first game on the brand-new field, Kasnevich Field.
“It was absolutely electric,” she said.
Which it was. Not only did game two of a doubleheader against Wheeling University on March 19 of last year go into extra innings, but Mansfield was the one to bring it home for the team after being batted in by Kennedy.
“I’ll never forget that,” she said.
The energy of a high-intensity game and a fully engaged team is what she loves most about the sport.
“There’s nothing better than your entire team just screaming a unison cheer,” Mansfield said.
While the games and the environment are fun, softball, just like any other sport, can be stressful. It is a sport that is always on the go, between practice and back-to-back games.
Balancing a full course load and a busy softball schedule can be difficult, but Mansfield is good at time management. With all her tasks and daily activities locked away in her brain, she takes things one at a time.
That is how she stays consistent through the long seasons.
“Just knowing that the only moment that exists is now, so that’s the only one I have to focus on,” Mansfield said.
“She’s very intentional in everything that she does,” Rice said. “She’s very focused, and I think that’s a testament to her work ethic. And it’s not cheap.”
Taking every moment for what it is, that is how the senior is soaking up her final days with the team.
“I think about the fact that I only have six weeks left of playing softball in my entire life, and I’ve been playing since I was eight years old. It’s scary,” she said.
It has all helped prepare her for life outside of college. The constant movement, the responsibility, is something she will carry with her.
“You’re going from one place to another,” Mansfield said. “Waking up early, going to bed late and doing it all again.”
After graduation, Mansfield hopes to become a coach or get involved in strength training. As an athlete very passionate about other athletes, she just wants to do what she can to help others in their sports.
But her time at Slippery Rock is not over yet. With only a couple of weeks left in the regular season, she plans to make the most of every moment until she is done.
“I don’t think it’s going to hit until that very last moment of that very last game,” Mansfield said.
For the remainder of her time on this team, she is going to give it her all, and that is the legacy she is leaving behind.
When some hear “legacy,” they think of the record-breaking, career-making moments. That is not always the case.
“A lot of people are learning from her, what she does and how she does it. And that is what’s going to trickle down and last for a long time,” Rice said.
Another thing she will be remembered for is her confidence. A mantra that her dad passed down is something she lives by:
“Walk onto the field like you’re the best player out there, even if you’re not.”
“When you have that confidence, that’s what takes you from being a good player to being great,” Mansfield said.
It is what makes you the kind of player that a coach wishes she could have had as a teammate.
“I think, ‘Man, that kid would have been a lot of fun to play with as a player,’’ Rice said. “And Mansfield is one of those kids.”
“She’s just an incredible woman. It’s really hard not to smile when you’re around Aubrey. And man, we’re going to miss her when she graduates,” Rice said.
As she reflects on the legacy she hopes to leave behind, she uses this as the foundation for it all:
“Act blessed because you are blessed,” Mansfield said. “This is where your little self wanted to be, so don’t take that for granted.”
