The transfer portal is a place that gives athletes the opportunity to choose a different school when they feel their first choice wasn't the right fit for their athletic and academic goals. That is how it felt for BYU softball transfer Chloé Temples.
'It's your last chance to get it right,' Temples said when sharing the stresses of being in the transfer portal. But now that she has found her place on the BYU softball team, she knows she made the right choice.
Head coach Gordon Eakin and pitching coach Pete Meredith were ecstatic with Temples' desire to join the Cougar softball family.
“We’re excited with the whole package that she brings,' Meredith said. 'She’s going to help us on the mound, she’s going to help us when she’s not pitching. She is all around a good, positive influence for us.”
Temples spent two years pitching for Stetson University in central Florida. Last season, she recorded 88 strikeouts in 122.1 innings and pitched 29 complete games out of the 36 she appeared in.
'I would get a fair amount of playing time, but none of that really mattered in the end because I wasn’t clicking with my team,' Temples said when discussing what sparked her desire to find a school that better fit her needs. “I realized that that's not the only thing that was important to me.'
Not all teams are lucky enough to love each other on and off the field, but BYU softball is one of the rare ones — and it shows in how they play.
'Our biggest strength is that we all get along,” Temples said. 'Talent can only take you so far as an individual. A team who really knows each other and who really clicks and trusts each other can go way farther.”
Meredith watched this team dynamic develop, and said from a coaching viewpoint, “they have a lot of respect for one another and they truly do love one another. A very strong part of the game is that everyone is pulling in the right direction and this team truly is.'
Also adding to the team's strengths is each individual's dedication to the game. For them, softball is a joy, not a job. Each player chooses to be there, wants to better themselves and expects to grow.
There will be plenty of opportunities for growth this season, especially with big names like Oregon, Tennessee and Stanford making an appearance on the schedule. Temples is confident in her team's ability to show up and perform in order to get the results they are looking for.
'I show up every day and I try to give my all to my teammates because I know that's what they deserve from me,' Temples said.
With five other pitchers filling the roster, Temples knows she will have to work for playing time as it won't be just given to her. 'I am definitely pushed a lot at practice because I know I have to work hard to earn my playing time.'
'She will get all the opportunities to grow and to get better,” Meredith said. 'I personally feel that she is going to be playing a very, very significant role in our success this year.'
The BYU softball team kicks off its 2022 season next month on Feb. 10 with the UNLV Rebel Classic in Las Vegas.