Wright’s Pitching Camp Raises Awareness

Former Duke All-American Jala Wright is hosting her first pitching camp, and she’s using the platform to raise awareness for something that greatly impacted her life.

Beyond the Mound: Pitching Awareness Softball Clinic will combine pitching lessons with support for Hilarity for Charity (HFC), a nonprofit with a mission to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

Wright’s grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, a brain condition that causes a progressive decline in memory, thinking, learning and organizing skills. She died two years ago.

“Then, unfortunately, my grandfather passed away six weeks after her,” Wright said. “They say once your loved one has Alzheimer’s, normally the one that’s caregiving usually passes away first, just because it’s so taxing on the mind and body. And then, of course, the emotions of watching your loved one pass away. But my grandmother actually passed away first.”

Wright’s camp will take place January 12, 2025 at Tuckahoe Sports Training Center in Tuckahoe, Virginia. The morning session is for players ages 8-13 ($115) and the afternoon session is for players ages 14-18+ ($120). 

The idea for the camp originated during NCAA regionals in Durham, North Carolina last year, when Wright was out to dinner with friends and was approached by Rasheeda Crews.

“She came up to me and congratulated me on my performance and said she was a pitching coach in the Virginia area and was interested in putting a camp together,” Wright said. “Fortunately, based on my success, I have an agent and they got in contact after that so we could all figure out how to do it.”

Wright and mother lived with her grandparents when she was younger, and they were involved in nearly every activity during her childhood.

“My grandfather taught me how to ride a bike and how to tie my shoes. My grandmother would be at all the games. She’d try and swing a bat, try to outdo me. It was the funniest thing,” Wright said. “But ever since I started playing softball, they were at everything.”

The death of Wright’s grandparents came during her junior season at Duke in 2023 and impacted her performance in the circle.

“I didn’t have the best stats, and didn’t have the best mental performance that season,” Wright said. “Come my senior year, I wouldn’t say I recovered from the grief, but I’ve learned to handle it better. Also, I definitely wanted to go out with the bang and play for something a little more beyond myself, so I dedicated that whole season to my grandparents.”

Wright is now a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee, where Alzheimer’s awareness is especially meaningful. Legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt died of early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type at age 64. The Pat Summitt Foundation focuses on advancing research for a treatment and a cure, providing care and support for patients and caregivers, and educating the public about Alzheimer’s disease.

Wright has enjoyed getting to know more about UT, taking classes, and learning from Lady Vols head coach Karen Weekly and her staff.

“It’s amazing. Seeing the game from a different perspective behind the scenes has just been so rewarding and so fulfilling,” Wright said. “I definitely get to share my own experiences at Duke, and building the relationships with the girls from my coaching side has been fun. (Pitching) coach Megan Rhodes Smith allows me to sit in on the pitching bullpen, and during games, I’m right beside her when she’s calling pitches. So I’m totally immersed in the pitching aspect role, and that’s ultimately what I want to do after I get my master’s here and complete my assistantship.”