ANDERSON, S.C. – Based on lineage, you had to figure sports would be a big part of Abby Child's life.

And considering the accomplishments of her family, the fact that the former Anderson University softball star and current Trojans assistant coach became a standout athlete was a safe bet.

When your dad is a tennis pro, your mom is a softball player and your grandfather is in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, well, the course is pretty much charted.

"My parents put us in every sport they could," said Child, who grew up in LaGrange, Georgia. "My dad (Tim) is a tennis pro, so we started out in tennis and we would go to all of his lessons with him and watch him play matches. But my mom (Mary) was a college softball player. She actually played slow-pitch softball for a team that my grandfather, David Child, coached.

"He was also a softball player and is in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame for winning the Slow-Pitch World Series with his team."

Abby inherited a competitive spirit from both parents, but it was the grit and determination her mom showed on the diamond that helped softball evolve from an activity to her passion.

"My mom was a shortstop and I would watch in awe as she hustled and dove after every ball that came her way," Abby explained. "She would walk off the field dirty and scabbed. Everyone in the park was always talking about how good she was and how hard she played, and I was so proud! I couldn't wait to be like her one day, until I was big enough to go out on the field and play."

A chip off the old block?

You better believe it.

By the time Abby got to LaGrange Academy she was already a softball phenom; by the time she left, she was a local legend.

During her career with the Lady Warriors she set three Georgia Independent School Association records – most home runs per at-bat (8.65), RBI (178) and walks (139).

A five-time All-State selection, she followed in her mother's footsteps as a shortstop. Along the way she helped LaGrange claim back-to-back state titles (2005-06) and was ranked by adidas as one of the top 100 recruits in the nation.

She also found time to play tennis and basketball and run track and field.

"I was a four-sport athlete in high school, but I was much better at softball than any of the others," Abby said. "I started playing varsity softball in 8th grade. I was fortunate to have a lot of good upperclassmen athletes to look up to as well as a supportive and quality coach in Coach (Charles) Parker. This is where I gained a love of winning, and more specifically the pursuit of winning a championship."

So how did Anderson University – a Division II school 190 miles from her home – win her over?

"I had played travel ball every summer since I was 10 years old," she said. "By the time I was 14, I was playing up with the 18U Gold elite teams out of Atlanta. This afforded me with a lot of college exposure, so I was receiving offers from different schools and divisions. I visited Anderson when I was a sophomore in high school with one of my older teammates, just to see what a college visit was like.

"Anderson immediately felt like home. It wasn't a program that I would just be another good player playing here four years and passing through. I knew that Anderson had all the potential to be a championship program and it was a place that I felt like I could make a difference."

That she did.

"On the first day Abby arrived on campus she told me her plans were to make sure the program was better after her four years than when she arrived," AU head softball coach Tommy Hewitt said. "Abby is a true AU Trojan – she bleeds black and gold."

Child did it all as a player, earning team Most Valuable Player and captain honors three of her four years. (Her sister, Molly, is two years younger but joined her at AU and had a great career as a Trojan).

Abby's resume includes South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, All-SAC, All-Region and All-SAC Tournament MVP, and you can't look through the league and AU record books without finding her name.

At one time, she led the SAC in career home runs (47) and still paces the league in walks (136). As a senior, she led the SAC with 62 runs scored and 130 total bases and had a team-high 18-game hitting streak.

Abby was named Anderson's 2014 Female Athlete of the Year.

Looking back, she realizes her entire career groomed her to become a coach. Deciding to be a college coach, however, came later.

"As my playing career was coming to an end I realized that I was not ready to step away," Child said. "So, I decided to major in physical education at Anderson University with the intensions of being a high school PE teacher and a varsity softball coach. It wasn't until my senior year of college that I realized I wanted to be a college coach. So, after coaching high school for one year (she led Hillcrest High School to a region crown) I took a job at Georgia Southwestern for two years.

"Then, one afternoon Coach Hewitt called me and asked me if I wanted to be the assistant coach at Anderson. It felt like I was being called home."

Abby joined the staff in August, 2017.

"The program and facilities at Anderson have changed so much since my freshman year of college and I like to think that I, and my teammates, helped to make that happen," she said. "It's just really an amazing experience to be able to be a part of those changes almost 10 years later."

Her first season as an assistant AU finished 32-16, while in 2018-19 the squad logged a 33-22 record.

With her playing days still fresh in her mind, she thinks current members of the AU roster can better appreciate her advice and experience.

"I think that my greatest strength as a coach is relatability," Abby said. "Usually, whatever problem a player has on the field or in the classroom I can help because I have been there – I have walked in their shoes. I try to remind myself to be the kind of coach that I would have wanted when I was a player. And, Coach Hewitt is a great example of that.

"I am very fortunate to study this profession with his experience and guidance."

Of course while softball is a major part of her life and career, the Childhood Education major also has a gift for working with area kids.

"As an assistant coach I am able to find time to work with students at a local (St. Joseph) Catholic School in Anderson," Child said. "I love working with children and it really gives me perspective about what my role is … not as a coach or as a teacher, but my role in God's plan and how every day I have the privilege to make an impact in people's lives and I do not intend to waste that opportunity."