Before making her international debut with the United States National Soccer Team (USWNT) in 2018, becoming a household name for soccer fans across the country, professional athlete Tierna Davidson grew up as a multi-sport athlete. When the shin guards came off, she was on the basketball court practicing her defensive stance or on a Little League Baseball® diamond, finetuning her swing. As a younger sister who wanted to be like her older sibling, when Davidson’s brother, Rory, signed up to play Tee Ball with Alpine/West Menlo (Calif.) Little League, it was a no-brainer for her to follow in his footsteps. It was in these early years of being the only girl on her teams that she learned the value of teamwork.
“I was the pitcher for the game, and one of my good friends at the time was the catcher. I wasn’t doing that well, and he came up to the mound and talked to me to just calm me down a little bit. After that conversation, I pitched what I would say was a decent game,” said Davidson. “To have that moment with a teammate, with a friend, it was a very memorable interaction. That trust, as we spoke, and the belief we had in each other, I still carry that with me today. If you see somebody struggling on the field, you know, have a moment with them, calm them down, give them a bit of confidence.”
In high school, Davidson’s post-degree dreams led her down two different paths – a professional career on the soccer field or exploring space as an astronaut. Once she committed to continuing her journey at Stanford University, her future became clearer. After three seasons of collegiate play, Davidson declared for the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft and was selected first overall by the Chicago Red Stars.
Since then, Davidson’s soccer resume has grown with impressive accomplishments – winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the youngest member of the USWNT, competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, winning Gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, and signing a three-year contract with Gotham FC in 2024. Off the field, Davidson works with youth soccer organizations to give back to the next generation of female athletes.
“It’s so important to give back because youth sports give you so much as a young person. It’s not about, ‘oh, we need to give these opportunities to everyone so that we can identify the elite talent and bring them to the next level so they can become professionals.’ Yes, that happens, but that is such a small percentage,” said Davidson. “It’s really about the larger percentage that just needs a social community to interact with, that needs a place to move their body and feel confident and feel connected and a sense of belonging. That’s what sports does for so many kids – the intangibles that you get from sports, whether it’s teamwork, the ability to lead and follow, the ability to follow direction, the ability to forge a new path to solve problems.”
Ahead of the 2025 NWSL playoffs, Little League® sat down with Davidson for a “Six Innings Conversation” to learn more about her journey from the baseball diamond to the biggest stage in women’s soccer and advice for the next generation.
First Inning: What lessons did you learn from your two seasons playing Little League or your years playing youth soccer that you have carried into your professional career?
I think it’s twofold. One is enjoying the sport. That’s a lot of what you learn from youth sports, and sometimes you don’t really realize that you’ve learned it until you look back on it and you’re like, ‘this is how my love for sports was developed. This is where I really had fun with the sport before it became an intense, pressure-filled environment.’ So first and foremost, having fun, enjoying the time with teammates, and doing a sport that you enjoy doing.
But then also, the notion of coachability and the ability to constantly be learning. As a youth, there’s so much to learn because you’re new to the sport. To take that into the professional environment is so important to understand that even if you’re not learning a ton about the sport because it’s not brand new to you anymore and you’re a professional in it, being able to find the small things to learn and get better at, to continue to push your level of excellence, is something that I have really tried to do over my years as a professional.
Second Inning: Teamwork is a core value at Little League. What does it mean to you to be a good teammate, and how has it helped you with your career both in the NWSL and as a member of the USWNT?
It is something that is so important to me. Something that I really cherish about my job and about sports in general is the time you spend with your teammates. I think it’s even more important to have the respect and trust of your teammates over your coaches or anyone else on your staff, because ultimately, you know, the people that have your back on the field are going to be the players around you. To build those relationships and be able to trust them and fall back on them in times when you’re struggling, and to be able to support others in times when they’re struggling, is what sports are all about.
Third Inning: From youth soccer to your collegiate career at Stanford to your professional career in the NWSL, you have had multiple coaches. What impact have these coaches had on you as a player and person, and what advice would you give coaches in youth sports today?
My coaches have had big impacts and different impacts – coming in at different parts of my career, and what I’ve been able to learn from them. But, I think, especially in my youth career, you know, developing me technically and pushing that side of the game. Then going later into college and professional is developing leadership and maybe some things that are maybe a little bit less tactical, but incredibly important to the game and to me as an individual.
For youth coaches, creating a space that is trusting and caring, and compassionate is so important because the stronger that type of relationship is, the more that you can push your athletes. Then that athlete knows that the pushing is coming from a place of, ‘I know that you can be great, so that’s why I am pushing you.’ When you have that level of trust and care, and the players feel like you care about them as a person, that is where you can really achieve a lot of greatness.
Fourth Inning: The NWSL has seen growth in popularity and viewership over the years and has really been a part of the “women’s sports are in a movement, not a moment.” What has it meant to you to be a part of that growth and see women’s sports – from soccer to softball – start to have the recognition it deserves?
It really is amazing to see that every time a woman’s sport is given the opportunity, we knock it out of the park. Every time we’re given the platform of primetime television or more coverage or more attention, we show up, and our fans show up. We absolutely exceed expectations. Jerseys get sold out, fans sell out stadiums, and we break records of viewership numbers. So, it is really cool to see that what has been holding us back is not lack of interest, but it’s exposure. There’s no problem with the sport, there’s no problem with the fan base; it’s just about getting our name out there, it’s getting more time in front of people to continue to grow the sport. It has been so cool to be a part of this intense period of growth.
Fifth Inning: As we think of representation in sports and the growth of women’s sports, how does the phrase ‘When you hear the phrase, ‘If you can see her, you can be her,’ make you feel?
I think it’s an important phrase because, you know, speaking about my Little League experience, I was the only girl on my team. Every single year. There’s not a single year that I played with another girl. There were a few times I played against a team with a girl, which was always so fun to see, because it’s like ‘oh, there’s somebody like me.’ So, I think it’s important that, you know, there are fantastic women role models that girls can look up to. People always ask who my soccer icon was when I was younger. I wish I could say a woman, but it wasn’t. So, it is cool that now there’s easy access for girls to see a role model who is a woman who looks like them. It’s so cool to see that sense of familiarity and connection, and recognize that one day they could be at that level playing, they could be doing that.
Sixth Inning: What advice would you give a young female who is stepping onto a softball diamond or soccer field for the first time?
Enjoy it. Time moves quickly. I feel very old when I think about my time in youth sports and how it’s continuously just getting farther and farther away. So, enjoy the time and remember that sports are meant to be a place to have fun, to grow, and to be challenged. It’s not meant to be, you know, terribly heartbreaking and pressure-filled. Your time playing in youth sports comes and goes, so enjoy it. Second, believe in yourself and in your abilities. That doesn’t mean just believe in all your talents as an athlete and your ability to play the sport, but also believe in your ability to make a mistake and come back from it. Believe in your ability to learn from somebody else. Believe in your ability that even if you might not be able to do something right now, you could do it in a few months.
To learn more about Little League’s notable alumni, visit LittleLeague.org/Alumni. If you know of a notable Little League graduate who is not listed on our website, please fill out our Little League Alumni Submission Form.
Dos Pueblos Little League is recruiting middle school and high school baseball players to umpire Little League games this season.
Prior umpiring experience is preferred, but not required. Dos Pueblos Little League has an Umpire Board member who will help with training, but baseball knowledge is a must.
Gear also provided and Little League umpires can earn $40 per game or receive volunteer service hours.
Umpiring Little League is “a great way to build leadership skills and stay involved in the game,” organizers said.
It’s time to vote for the Detroit Free Press Buffalo Wild Wings Boys Prep Athlete of the Week.
This week’s poll features three basketball players who had standout performances during the week of Dec. 14-20.
Voting will close at noon on Friday, Dec. 26.
Here are the nominees (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Malachi Brand, Warren Woods-Tower
Warren Woods-Tower improved to 4-1 after defeating both Fraser and Warren Mott last week. Brand, the team’s sophomore guard, had 36 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and five steals for the Titans.
Gregory Haskins, Port Huron
Haskins’ 30-point performance led Port Huron to its first win of the season on Tuesday, defeating Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse, 77-68. The senior guard followed his performance with 20 points on Friday in a 58-37 loss to Port Huron Northern.
Kayden Harmon, New Haven
Harmon started his week with a double-double during a 82-26 victory over Clinton Township Clintondale on Tuesday. The 6-foot-7 sophomore guard had 21 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in the matchup. New Haven extended its winning streak with a 75-42 victory over Sterling Heights on Friday, in which he finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Come back to freep.com/sports/high-schools/ every Tuesday morning to vote for Athlete of the Week.
Miss the deadline to nominate an athlete?
We take nominations through 10 a.m. Monday for the previous week’s games. Nominate for the week of Dec. 21-27 at freep.com/athlete. Note: Don’t use the nomination link to vote. You can vote in the poll above.
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Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90.
Prattville Fire Department’s (PFD’s) Battalion Chief Travis Rodie celebrated his retirement, Dec. 22, 2025, at Stanley Gann Training Center, marking the end of a 26-year career of dedicated service.
Mayor Bill Gillespie presented Rodie with a token, recognizing his selfless leadership and long-standing commitment to the citizens of Prattville.
“Chief Rodie has done so much for our community,” said Gillespie. “One person can’t do everything, but one person can make a difference, and he’s done it from the top down.”
Assistant Chief Ricky Roberts also highlighted Rodie’s commitment to the community, which he said has extended far beyond PFD, including his service in the U.S. Air Force and his time coaching local youth sports.
“You’ll never meet a more dedicated employee than Travis,” said Roberts. “When given a task, whether he liked it or not, he would always get it done. His work ethic is unmatched. He’s championed physical fitness, invested deeply in public education, and consistently advocated for every single member of this department for 26 years.”
In the days leading up to his retirement, Rodie made a point to visit each fire station, offering encouragement and sharing lessons he hoped would stay with his colleagues long after his departure.
“There are three things I try to teach my grandchildren that I will leave you with today,” said Rodie. “All you need to be successful in this world is to be smart, be kind, and be strong.”
Rodie concluded the ceremony by calling his final class of recruits forward for one last tradition: 20 team pushups. As they counted each repetition, the emotion in the room was unmistakable — a fitting tribute to a leader whose impact will be measured not just in years served, but in the people he shaped and the legacy he leaves behind.
Gregory Dean Craig, 62, of Otwell, passed away December 19, 2025, in Huntingburg.
He was born June 11, 1963, to Jerry and Patty (Hayes) Craig in Washington, Ind.
Greg had worked as a land surveyor for Nerco and Phoenix Natural Resources. He spent 18 years with the Pike County Sheriff’s Department and currently works in the parts department at Farbest Foods.
Greg was kind, hardworking, and loved his family fiercely. He told his wife he loved her every single day. He prayed for each member of his family every day while driving to work. He was often quiet but felt things deeply. He especially loved being “Pap” to his grandson, Barin. He delighted in doing things with him and loved it while on vacation when Barin, who loved the beach, wanted to leave it to have a campfire with Pap.
Greg was happiest while fishing or hunting and loved being at “The Last Resort”. Going on a little fishing trip with his dad or his son, Clint, was a special treat. He coached both his children in youth sports and supported everything they did. They knew he always had their back. He also took great pride in keeping his lawn in pristine condition.
Greg was a collector at heart, whether it was fishing lures, plastic worms, or Batman figures for Clint. When Clint was born, he bought a rattletrap lure to start his collection. He owned possibly the most extensive beer memorabilia collection around and was so proud of his “museum”.
Greg is survived by his wife of 38 years, Jody (Booth) Craig; daughter, Allyson Michelle (Jim) Bowers, or “Ally Shell” as Greg called her; son, Clint Matthew (Kelsey Barrett) Craig, or “Slappy” as Greg called him; grandchildren, Barin, Klaire, and Kameryn Bowers; mother, Patty Craig; brother, Brent (Jamie Williams) Craig; uncles, Gordon Craig and Roger Chamness; an aunt, Patsy Gilham; and several cousins.
He is preceded in death by his father, Jerry Craig; grandparents, Marion and Anita Jean Hayes and Luther and Norma Craig; aunt, Debbie Chamness; and his mother in law, Sharon Booth.
Services for Greg will take place at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, December 26, 2025, at Harris Funeral Home in Petersburg, with visitation time from 10 a.m. EDT until service time.
On a cool and sunny Friday afternoon, I finally did what I’d been meaning to do for several weeks.
I drove over to Edgewood Park to have a look at the former Dixie Youth Baseball fields. After several years of being unused, McComb officials recently removed the fencing around each field along with several buildings on the property.
It’s an inglorious ending to a place that introduced thousands of local children to baseball and softball, and drew hundreds of their family members and friends on summer evenings to watch the games.
But now it’s gone. I parked my car and looked out at the property, trying to recall the location of the various fields.
Everything has been removed. The concession stand, the overhead press boxes behind each home plate, the storage buildings, the fences, the dugouts, the bleachers, the cinder blocks. I couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like even the sidewalks were gone.
One overhead light lay on its former field, where the minor league used to play. There were three vehicles on the property, with guys completing the removal work, including a truck and a backhoe.
I don’t blame the city for clearing the property. It had been overgrown for several years until the city board approved the cleanup.
Nor do I blame the McComb Exchange Club for merging its youth baseball operations with Summit several years ago and moving to the Windsor Gay Youth Complex, which has more space than Edgewood Park did. Times change, and decisions have to be made.
In fact, Pike County once had three Dixie Youth Baseball locations, in McComb, Magnolia and Summit.
The Dairy Belt leagues in Magnolia were the first to close, pretty much going the way of all the dairy farms that Southwest Mississippi used to have. And then McComb DYB left Edgewood Park, where it had been since it started in 1958, for Summit.
Mary Ann and I were regulars at youth baseball games from 1994 to 2008, if my math is correct. Though it could be aggravating at times for parents trying to make sure their kids got to where they were supposed to be, the upside to Dixie Youth Baseball far outweighed any hassles.
The baseball fields are gone, but the memories remain. Every family has them, and here are some of my favorites:
• Coaching T-ball was comically fun. I remember one year, a player insisted on sitting down in the base path whenever he was in the field. I would have to go lift him up to move him out of the way.
• John’s junior league team Sonic won the championship in 1997. It was a close race with another team.
This team was a great group of kids, and they had good coaches and especially a fun group of parents. And the Sonic on Delaware Avenue, to their credit, donated a bunch of hamburgers for the team party.
• Thomas struggled at the plate in his first few games of minor league, when players graduated to a live pitcher instead of the junior league machine.
I pulled out my VCR tape of “The Empire Strikes Back” — this was the summer of 2000 — and had him watch Yoda’s tutorials of Luke Skywalker. A Jedi must feel the Force; it surrounds us. Believe in what you can do. And the very next game, he got a hit.
• When Audrey was in the softball leagues, one year I had these comical trash-talking contests with friends whose daughters were on another team. Audrey, it turned out, was a decent player. A sign of her future on the high school volleyball team.
When Audrey, our youngest, finished her last year of Dixie Youth, I was glad to be free of spending two nights or four nights a week at the park. I planned to go back once in a while to see what was going on, but I never did.
This would be the right place to thank all the Exchange Club members and other volunteers who do the hard work of running Dixie Youth. They all are champs.
Looking out at the empty space on Friday, it had to look a lot nicer than it did when the property wasn’t being used and the weeds had taken over. So I’m OK with starting from scratch on what is a pretty large piece of Edgewood Park.
A soccer league has asked to use the property, and I hope they, or some kind of youth sports group, gets it. The place has six decades of history, and that ought to continue.
GLENVIEW, Ill. — On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) hosted a special evening at Shahnasarian Hall in the Armenian Community Center in Glenview to celebrate Armenian youth, athletic excellence and the enduring values that guide the Armenian community.
The evening began with a shared dinner, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for fellowship and celebration. The Gomideh expressed its sincere gratitude to all who contributed to the preparation, serving and cleanup, whose efforts ensured a smooth and enjoyable start to the night.
The program formally opened with welcoming remarks by Hagop Soulakian, chairman of the Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh. He welcomed the athletes and members of Homenetmen Chicago and the Chicago Ararat AYF Juniors and Seniors, along with their families, and congratulated both organizations on their recent championship victories.
The Homenetmen Chicago athletes were recognized for winning the 2025 Navasartian Games, followed just one week later by the Chicago Ararat AYF Juniors, who captured the 2025 Junior Olympic Championship. These back-to-back victories were highlighted as a source of pride for the entire community and as evidence of discipline, preparation and teamwork.
Hagop Soulakian, chairman of the Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh
In his remarks, Soulakian emphasized that these achievements extend beyond athletics. “Winning championships does not happen by chance,” he stated. “It begins with ideas, preparation and planning. It requires hard work and sacrifice. But above all, championships are won through unity.”
He then connected these athletic principles to the mission and values of the ARF through the symbolism of its coat of arms. He explained that the pen represents ideas, education and thoughtful preparation; the shovel symbolizes disciplined work and consistent effort; the sword honors sacrifice and courage; and the fist unites all of these elements through collective strength. “Just as in athletics,” he noted, “ideas, hard work and sacrifice only lead to victory when they are bound together as one. That belief — unity through shared purpose — is exactly what the ARF stands for.”
To conclude the program, the ARF invited all Homenetmen athletes and AYF members to the front of the hall, where each was presented with a Zinanishan pin. The pin was offered as both a token of appreciation for their hard work and a reminder of the principles required to succeed not only on the field, but within the Armenian community and in service to the nation.
Khajak Arakelian (right), chair of Homenetmen Chicago, and Aleena Surenian (left), chair of the Chicago Ararat AYF, cut the cake.
The evening continued with a special cake-cutting ceremony led by Khajak Arakelian, chair of Homenetmen Chicago, and Aleena Surenian, chair of the Chicago Ararat AYF, marking the shared celebration between the organizations. Following the ceremony, it was announced that Chicago will host the 2027 AYF Senior Olympics. The announcement was met with enthusiasm and pride, as hosting the Senior Olympics is both a significant responsibility and a meaningful honor for the local community. The opportunity reflects the confidence placed in Chicago’s organizations and volunteers and further underscored the evening’s theme of youth leadership, organizational strength and collective commitment to the future.
Organizers expressed hope that the evening fostered renewed appreciation for all those who helped make the celebration joyful and meaningful, while reinforcing the importance of unity, service and continued investment in youth. As emphasized throughout the night, the young people honored at this event represent more than championship teams; they are future leaders of the Armenian community. As Soulakian reminded those gathered, “Our survival has never been accidental; it has always been the result of resilience, unity, and an unbreakable commitment to our nation.”
