Avery Bush: Meet the Greely freshman playing baseball with the boys

The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

When Avery Bush steps on the baseball field, there's no mistaking she feels at home on the diamond where she belongs.

"Second grade, like eight or nine -- My brother was on like a rookie ball, a T-ball team. I think they were down a couple of players -- they needed someone to fill in. And I was at the game and my dad just said, like, put her in. And they gave me a uniform and a hat. I played the game, and I think I just never looked back" Bush said.

On the soccer field and the basketball court, Bush is just one of the girls. On the diamond though, the Greely freshman plays with the boys.

"It was a big question this year for sure. Like going into high school, the freshman base was not really my main sport. So it's kind of a question like, do I really want to be a starter on varsity softball or do I want to like, take it easy on like J.V. baseball? And I think I made the right decision. I'm very happy where I am," Bush said.

"She's fit in right from day one. She's accustomed to playing with most of them because they were together in junior high. She works hard and she's been readily accepted by everybody. She's certainly not a liability out there by any means. So we feel very confident when she's out there at the plate in the field. She can do it all. She can hang with these boys ." Greely JV baseball coach Frank Smith said.

It's not difficult to see how Avery inherited her love for the game. Her father Dave was a longtime major league pitcher who is now the Red Sox pitching coach.

With that comes a certain notoriety that she's comfortable with.

"It's been that way for so long. It's not really a big deal, especially I think in this town. I've been here for long enough where most people know that I play, and it's not really that surprising thing anymore." Avery Bush said.This spring, Brown University's Olivia Pichardo became the first female to play Division One baseball. In a twist of fate, Brown's coach and Avery's father were college teammates. Avery has traded text messages with Pichardo.

In her community and beyond, she embraces any opportunity she has to be an influence on other girls who want to play baseball.

"I love to be a role model for those people. I know there's probably one or two girls playing in Little League system here, and they look great to see them play. I mean, I've been the only girl playing for so long. It's nice to see that other people do too." Bush said.