Amanda Stanton is the starting second baseman for the Eastern Michigan University softball team and was also named Mid-American Conference West division Player of the Week last week following a stellar week, in which she hit 7-for-14 with three home runs (including a grand slam), and raised her batting average from .301 to .325.
“It feels really good,” Stanton said. “It feels awesome. I really wasn’t expecting it, but it’s a good feeling because I’ve been working hard on and off the field. It’s great to see that my hard work is paying off.”
Stanton has been around softball her entire life.
“[I’ve been playing] my whole life,” Stanton said. “I couldn’t even give you an age. Baseball and
softball run in my family.”
Stanton has two brothers who play baseball. Her older brother Jake played baseball at Grand Valley State University and her younger brother Josh plays high school baseball.
Stanton was a multi-sport athlete before making the decision to stay on the diamond.
“I used to play hockey, volleyball, basketball … but pretty much throughout the years, I whittled them down to just softball,” Stanton said.
Stanton said her decision to stick with softball came over time, and was a fairly easy choice.
“I got to pick throughout the way which sports I wanted to do,” Stanton said. “I ended up liking softball the most. I just fell in love with the game and the people I was surrounded with.”
When she goes home to Homer Glen, Ill. (about 40 minutes northeast of Chicago), there is one member of the family Stanton rushes to see before she does anything else.
“[The first thing I do is] see my dog Bailey,” Stanton said. “I love my dog. My mom can never bring her to any games because she’s not dog friendly.”
After she greets her beloved dog, Stanton said she likes to spend time with the rest of the family.
“We usually watch movies,” Stanton said. “We go out to dinner a lot, basically just hang out. I go to my brother’s games usually when I’m home. [I] just hang out with my family because it’s not for a long time; it’s just a weekend.”
Stanton said there are two foods which she would call her favorites.
“If we’re not going out to pizza, because I love pizza, probably a burger,” Stanton said. “I like cheeseburgers.”
A few of Stanton’s teammates, including roommate and best friend Lauren Wells, who were gathered around while the interview was taking place, seemed to find some amusement in that revelation.
Stanton said her favorite movies are comedies.
“‘Step Brothers’ is my favorite movie of all time,” Stanton said. “I like Will Ferrell … he’s great in all his movies.”
Her favorite music is one which, she said, may have been influenced by her time here at EMU.
“I like hip hop and rap,” Stanton said. “I don’t know if it’s from being here at Eastern, because that’s what we seem to listen to, but when I go home that’s what I listen to. My mom doesn’t understand it, but that’s what I bring home.”
Despite her choice in music, Stanton said her favorite singer was something a little different.
“Luke Bryan, probably,” Stanton said. “I know that’s country, but he’s cute and I love all his songs.”
Her major is liberal arts for elementary education, and she said she hopes to take that degree into the classroom.
“I’m hoping to teach [kindergarten] through three [third grade], but I’m open for anything,” Stanton said. “Because I can do up to eighth grade. I’m shooting for the younger kids … they’re cute.”
Wells said her best friend’s sense of humor stands out to her on the field.
“Obviously her ability to make you laugh [stands out],” Wells said. “It could be the most intense part of the game and she just comes up to the mound and says little stupid stuff in stupid voices and it just takes the intensity away or the fear of failing away from the situation … stuff like that.”
Off the field, Wells said Stanton is just as funny as she is on it.
“She’s just random,” Wells said. “She really doesn’t care what anybody thinks. She just does whatever. She’ll do anything basically. She’s just kind of a carefree, worry-free person.”
Senior catcher Courtney Loe had positive things to say about Stanton on the field.
“She just makes me smile,” Loe said. “I guess I just know that when the ball is hit to her, she’s going to go 100 percent all the time. She’s always one who is loud and … I can always look to her when I need to get picked up.”
Loe echoed her teammate Wells when it came to describing Stanton off the field.
“She’s just a goofball,” Loe said. “I know that if I have any leftovers, she wants them because she just likes food. She’s not fat, she just likes food.”
Editor’s note: That last statement got a few laughs from some of Loe’s teammates at the time of the interview. Stanton replied jokingly, “I hate you.”
Follow Al Willman on Twitter: @AlWillmanEcho
