Today’s special spotlight is on a Pac-12 bound senior who reflects on her older brother—a beloved college student at the same university she’ll attend—who raised a quarter million dollars towards cancer research before he passed away six months ago.

Our  Northern California standout player also recaps her team’s outstanding summer and what she’s looking forward to in her last year of high school ball…

 

Name: MOLLY FOWKES
Grad Year: 2015
Pos: OF/1B
High School: Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.)
GPA: 4.1 GPA
Club: Lady Magic – Havey                                                      
Stats: 2014: hit .439 as a junior with only four strikeouts in 82 at-bats; 1.000 fielding percentage on 35 chances; career: .425 average, only two errors in 75 high school games.
Honors: Sierra Foothills All-league and Sacramento Area All-Metro as sophomore and junior
College: Stanford
 

***

 

FullCountSoftball.com: Your brother, Jimmy, who did so much for fundraising for cancer, died earlier this year after an eight-year battle with brain cancer. How has he influenced your athletic career and how do you remember him or even honor him today?
Molly Fowkes: As far as athletics goes, Jimmy taught me to be fearless, to pursue my goals relentlessly and to not be afraid of failure. In the eight years before he passed away, Jimmy had raised over $250,000 to help others affected by cancer. I am honoring him by continuing to fundraise for LIVESTRONG, Jimmy’s passion.

 

FCS.com: He was first diagnosed eight years ago, so you’ve been under that shadow of his illness for much of your life. How has that shaped you in who you are today?
MF: Our family never saw it as a shadow, but rather an opportunity to count our blessings and to never take things for granted. Because so much focus was (appropriately) on Jimmy and his health, I was forced to mature a lot faster. As a family, we learned the value of time (particularly our time together) in a profound way. Through Jimmy’s activism with LIVESTRONG, we got connected to an incredible community and learned that one person can truly “make a difference.”

 

FCS.com: Being the younger sibling of someone who passes away so young, how did you process his death and what helped you go through the grieving process?
MF: I still am going through the grieving process and I miss him terribly. Our family has had a lot of support from the people who knew and loved him. Having the opportunity to talk about Jimmy also helps a lot. I see it as a way to celebrate him and the positive impact he had on so many people’s lives.

 

FCS.com: Your family must be so proud that you’re committed to Stanford, tell us how they discovered you and when the offer came…
MF: I had been attending Stanford’s camp for a couple of years, but it was the summer after my freshman year that the coaches started watching me at tournaments. I went on an unofficial visit in the middle of my sophomore year, during which Coach (John) Rittman expressed interest. But it was at Stanford’s camp after my sophomore year that he made me an offer.

 

FCS.com: When did you decide to commit and how did you tell the Cardinal coaches?
MF:  I decided about a week later, calling Coach Rittman to let him know I wanted to go to school and play softball at Stanford.

 

FCS.com: There’s an entirely new softball staff… have you met them and/or talked with them much and what are your thoughts on going to Palo Alto with coaches who hadn’t originally recruited you?
MF: I’ve met Coach (Rachel) Hanson and talked with her a couple of times. While I’m very grateful to Coach Rittman for the opportunity he offered me, I committed to Stanford because that’s where I wanted to go to school. From the conversation I’ve had with Coach Hanson and everything I’ve heard and read about her and her staff, I’m excited and looking forward to becoming part of the Stanford program and playing on her team.

 

FCS.com: Let’s talk about the Lady Magic for a moment… the team had a great summer winning Boulder at the 16U level and being competitive in every other tournament… what was the highlight of the summer play for you?
MF:  Two things stand out for me: The championship game in Colorado (an 18-5 win over Corona Angels). Our team’s hitting performance was incredible. Winning that tournament, beating the SoCal A’s, Beverly Bandits and Corona Angels all in a row showed we could play with anyone in the country. Also, when our team took an early round loss at PGF, we battled back and won six games in a row – against some very good teams – to take 5th.

 

FCS.com: If you’re evaluating yourself, what do you think softball-wise got you the offer to a Pac-12 school like Stanford?
MF: I’m not the most gifted athlete on the field. But I am willing to work—on fundamentals, conditioning and whatever else it takes to make myself better. I think the Stanford coaches saw my continuous improvement and appreciated my work ethic.

 

FCS.com: So here you are entering your senior year… what are your thoughts and goals on and off the field?
MF: High school has gone by so fast. But now I’m focused getting prepared to play and work at the collegiate level – on the field and in the classroom, respectively.

 

Quick Hitters

 

What do you want to major in or do for a living?
Human Biology, possibly leading to something in medicine.

What do you think is the No. 1 issue in the world today?
Not enough progress on a cure for cancer.

Favorite school subject:
Math.

Least favorite characteristic in a person:
Selfishness.

Favorite person in history (and why):
Jackie Robinson: he had the courage to be first, to break the most difficult of trails. He started us on a path toward making this awesome game open to everyone.

What’s your dream vacation?
To go to the “Giraffe Manor” in Kenya to see my favorite animals in the wild.

What was the last movie you saw and how would you rate it?
“Chef,” a wonderful movie. Two thumbs up.

Who always makes you laugh?
My cousin Delaney.

What’s something unusual or different about you that few know?
When I was in grade school, I showed miniature horses.

How would your family and friends describe you in one word?
Energetic.

If you could make one change to improve softball, what would it be?
Make all outfields as nice as the infields and require real (permanent) outfield fences, not floppy garden plastic

Do you have any softball superstitions or rituals?
I always wear a yellow LIVESTRONG band (that belonged to my brother) under the armband that contains our team’s signs.

Other than family, who’s your hero or someone you look up to most?
As far as softball goes, two people I’ve looked up to are Jessica Mendoza and Ali Aguilar.