Wombles cousins share sister-like bond that transforms into fiery competitiveness on softball diamond

PLEASANT HILL, Ill.  — Ava Wombles is like the older sister Emma Wombles never had.

“Ava is probably my biggest role model,” Emma Wombles said.

Ava could not be more proud to hold that distinction.

“It literally means the world to me that she said that,” Ava Wombles said. “One of my goals in life is to inspire girls. I love her to death, and just hearing that, it makes me so happy, and she’s honestly one of my role models. She’s going to do amazing things, and I’m so excited to see what the future holds for her.”

Ava and Emma are distant cousins — their great-great-grandfathers were twins. Ava is a senior pitcher and outfielder for the Pleasant Hill softball team, Emma a sophomore pitcher and infielder for Pittsfield. Both only have a younger brother, and they have developed a sister-like relationship, especially as their softball careers have blossomed.

“Growing up with her, it doesn’t seem like we’re third, fourth, fifth cousins,” Emma Wombles said. “We’re a lot closer than that. These last few years, we’ve gotten a lot closer than we were when we were little. We just kind of saw each other at family parties. These past few years, we’ve really grown close and formed a really strong bond.”

That bond got even stronger when Emma joined Ava’s travel team, the 18U Illinois Firecrackers, for a handful of games in the summer of 2024.

“I actually told my family, ‘This is something I’ve always wanted. I don’t even care how I play. I’m just so excited to get to play with Ava,’” Emma Wombles said.

Ava equally enjoyed having Emma in the same dugout with her for the first time.

“It was really fun,” Ava Wombles said. “She’s awesome. I love playing with her.”

In hindsight, though, Ava suspected it may have been for the better that last summer was their only experience on the same team.

“We joke about anything and everything,” Ava Wombles said. “It’s probably better we didn’t (play softball) together because we probably would have been acting dumb the whole time. We’re two peas in a pod with that.”

As much as their goofy sides show outside the white lines, the Wombles cousins can flip a switch when they step on the diamond. Pleasant Hill coach Ryan Lowe has seen that numerous times with Ava.

“You can goof around off the field, but when it’s time to practice and play ball, Ava’s one of the most fierce competitors I know,” Lowe said. “I’m sure if they were on the same team, it’d be a good combo.”

Pittsfield coach Ariana White has seen the same thing in Emma.

“They’re cracking a lot of jokes, for sure,” White said. “I always see them smiling, always see them laughing. That relationship between Emma and Ava is just great. It’s awesome to see, just nice to know they can have a familiar face on the other side. When it’s time to get serious and buckle down, they both do it.”

That is not by mistake, evidenced by what Emma said is the most important thing she has learned from Ava when it comes to softball.

“I’ve learned that I have to go out there with that beast mentality,” Emma Wombles said. “Something I never see with Ava is she never gives up on the field. She’s still going no matter what.”

Emma and Ava put those bulldog mentalities on display when they dueled each other in a 4-3 Pittsfield victory on April 22. The cousins combined to strike out 29 batters while only walking five, both in complete-game efforts. 

Ava has sacrificed time in the outfield — where she will play at Saint Louis University beginning next spring — to become the primary pitcher for a Pleasant Hill team that is off to an 9-3 start. Emma has compiled a 3.24 ERA in 58 ⅓ innings for a 12-4-1 Pittsfield squad.

“It was really fun,” Emma said of pitching against Ava. “I was really hoping that my coach would let me throw tonight and that her coach would let her throw tonight. It was great. It was probably a head-to-head battle unlike any I’ve ever been in before.”

While striking out virtually everyone else, both cousins managed to have success at the plate against each other. Emma went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles off Ava, while Ava went 1 for 2 with an RBI double and walked twice against Emma.

“Obviously, I get a little nervous when (Ava) comes up to bat,” Emma Wombles said. “I’m like, ‘Alright, gotta settle down. It’s just another batter,’ but it does mean a little bit more than another batter. When I go out there to hit against her, I’m like, ‘I’ve got this. I’m going up against my role model, but it’s fine.’”

The competitor in Ava would have liked to have beaten Emma’s team, but the big sister in her was proud of Emma for her performance.

“I’m glad that she did well,” Ava Wombles said. “I really am happy for her.”