In the spring of 2022, Emma Stamp thought her softball career might be over. As the junior rounded first base for the South Kitsap Wolves, she went down with a torn ACL and partially-torn meniscus.
Immediately after the injury, Stamp said, doubt crept in.
鈥渊ou can't do anything for yourself. You're on crutches, you are in pain,鈥� recalls Stamp, who was a South Puget Sound League 4A first-team selection following her sophomore season. 鈥淚t was really hard to get through it. I had multiple times where I wanted to quit. I thought 鈥楾here's no way I can get through this injury and come back to the sport.鈥欌��
But Stamp, who grew up around softball with both of her parents playing on slow-pitch team, knew that her love of the game meant she couldn鈥檛 give it up without trying to come back.
鈥淚 just like the competition and we're always grinding,鈥� Stamp said. 鈥渊ou want to get better every day and having the relationships and finding your lifelong best friends with the sport, it just brings so much joy into my life.鈥�
TOP: Sophomore Emma Stamp gets a hit during a March 8 victory over Grays Harbor. ABOVE:
Stamp encourages her teammates from the Yaks dugout.
The road to Yakima
Stamp鈥檚 first connection with 麻豆视频鈥檚 came while she was recovering from knee surgery. After talking to then-head coach Renae Koppenhafer, Stamp said she knew she belonged in Yakima.
鈥淚 have a couple family members that are over on this side of the state, so that was kind of cool coming here knowing I had some family that if I ever needed anything, they were close,鈥� Stamp said.
Stamp returned to the diamond for her senior year at South Kitsap and again made the South Puget Sound League 4A first-team. That doesn鈥檛 mean the injury was completely behind her, however. She鈥檚 had two additional surgeries to help repair her meniscus, most recently in November 2024.
鈥渊ou definitely lose a lot of mobility,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 lift heavy weights with my lower body so I can stay healthy softball.鈥�
During her freshman year, Stamp and her teammates made history for the Yaks softball program, earning the team鈥檚 first trip to the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament in more than 30 years.
鈥淭hat was our goal from the start of last year. Achieving that goal with my best friends on the team, that's huge,鈥� said Stamp. 鈥淎nd we were able to take out a team that beat us four times during conference play so that was pretty special.鈥�
Emma Stamp gets ready at first base as a batter comes to the plate during an April 4 doubleheader versus Treasure Valley Community College.
After compiling 34 hits, including six doubles and a home run, along with 19 RBIs and 14 runs during her freshman year, Stamp boosted her offensive output during her sophomore season, leading the team with 50 hits and 40 RBIs along with 31 runs, six doubles and seven home runs on a .427 batting average.
鈥淕etting that experience freshman year was really big,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t motivated us that much more to want to go back and do even better and keep getting farther into the tournament.鈥�
On the way to helping lead the softball program to a repeat trip to the NWAC post-season tournament in 2025, Stamp also earned First-Team All-East honors and was the first player in program history to be named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American in recognition of her athletic and academic excellence.
Off the diamond, Stamp is planning to pursue a career in teaching. After completing her associate degree, she plans to continue into YVC鈥檚 Bachelor of Applied Science in Teacher Education program. She already has some experience working in a preschool and special education settings.
鈥淚鈥檝e known for awhile that I enjoyed being around kids and I have a passion for teaching,鈥� said Stamp. While she鈥檇 like to start in a second grade classroom, she hopes eventually to move into special education. 鈥淚鈥檝e just always had a big heart for those students and so I think eventually life will lead me there.鈥�
Story by Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations. Photos by Ross Courtney.