Softball Player’s Inspiring Story Makes It to the Big Screen
When Katelyn Pavey was born twenty-five years ago, her life was off to a rocky start from the very beginning. Her birth was unexpected – the result of an affair. When she was born, her left arm wasn’t fully developed. For many years, her parents struggled with the thought that their daughter had been born this way because of their own personal mistakes. From the time she was an infant, Katelyn had no choice but to learn to adapt her everyday life to work around her physical limitations. But since this was all she had known from birth, she didn’t think that much about it.
Her dad, Eric, played baseball in his younger years and introduced Katelyn to softball. She almost immediately fell in love with it. Why? “It made me feel confident in myself,” she said. “Like I wasn’t that different than anybody else.” Eric coached this sport for 27 years, and he and Katelyn spent countless hours in their backyard practicing and playing, helping her to hone her skills.
Her dad, Eric, played baseball in his younger years and introduced Katelyn to softball. She almost immediately fell in love with it. Why? “It made me feel confident in myself,” she said. “Like I wasn’t that different than anybody else.” Eric coached this sport for 27 years, and he and Katelyn spent countless hours in their backyard practicing and playing, helping her to hone her skills.
At the age of 10, she decided she wanted to play softball at the college level. She had her work cut out for her, but she had an unmatched determination.
Katelyn said, “Lots of mornings I’d wake up at 5 a.m. — even in the freezing cold of winter — and go outside to hit. I sacrificed birthday parties, time with my friends, a LOT of weekends … a lot of time in general … to get to where I wanted to be in this sport.”
And it paid off. She was able to get on a good travel team, was getting to start the games, and thought she was doing well, but one day she was asked to leave the team. The coach told her that it was causing too much drama from other players, coaches and parents, who were complaining that a girl with only one arm was starting the games instead of other girls with both fully functioning arms. Even though this hurt her deeply at first, she chose to use the initial sting of it to act as fuel to drive her even more to prove that she WAS good enough at the game and deserved to be out on the field. She eventually rose above all of the opposition and became the first one-armed All-American softball player.
She and her family attend First Capital Christian Church in Corydon, with Pastor Tyler Sansom. Ever since he was a little boy, Tyler had wanted to make movies. Since the church’s motto is “to help others find and follow Jesus,” he figured what better way to do this than by making movies about his own congregation. The pastor knew the story of Katelyn and her family, and approached Eric first about allowing him to film a movie about Katelyn and her journey. At first, Eric said no. He wasn’t comfortable with having his mistakes portrayed on the big screen for all the world to see. Then they asked Katelyn about it. She turned them down not once, not twice, but three times. She didn’t feel like she particularly had a story to share.
She said, “I have red hair and one arm — so what? I play softball. I felt like there were others that needed to share their story more than me and I really didn’t want to be in that spotlight.”
She said, “I have red hair and one arm — so what? I play softball. I felt like there were others that needed to share their story more than me and I really didn’t want to be in that spotlight.” But Pastor Sansom felt in his heart that this would be a great story of redemption to inspire and encourage others, and that if it brought even one soul to Christ, that it would be worth it. When he put it that way, the Paveys decided they needed to do it. The movie, titled “I Can,” has been a hit, initially being shown in select theaters. It can now be viewed through streaming on Amazon Prime.
Katelyn started college at Cincinnati Christian University, then went to Midway University in Kentucky and graduated from Kentucky Christian University with a master’s degree in Christian Leadership. She is currently working at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in Louisville and hopes to stay in the sport of softball in some capacity — maybe coaching somewhere or opening her own indoor facility.
Softball has given a lot to her in numerous ways, so she wants to give back to the game and be able to reach more people with her story She travels quite a bit doing motivational speaking, and she also got married last September.
The movie and all of Katelyn’s success has been a collective effort and supported by her parents, Eric and Salena, and two siblings, Sydney and Mackenzie. Author and Christian speaker Joyce Meyer frequently says, “Let your mess become your message,” and this family has done a great job of that. •
Story by Michelle Hardman
Photos submitted by Katelyn Pavey
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