Donald Trump would love Ashley Robinett. “The coaches always call me the CEO of the team ‘cause I make the phone calls and I make sure things get done,” said Robinett, a two-time captain and a starting center fielder for the first-place Wildcats. And never cross Robinett – she might unveil her menacing crimson eyes (more on that below).
Beginnings: Robinett, who lives in Snohomish, started playing softball at age 6. Her father, John Robinett, played and coached semi-professional baseball and encouraged Ashley to try sports. “I guess I was never a girly girl,” she said. “I always played baseball in the backyard, so he just got me playing and that kept me going.” Robinett has three younger brothers who all play baseball, including two who are freshmen at Archbishop Murphy.
Niki Desautels / The Herald
In the field: Robinett enjoys playing center field, even though it’s boring sometimes thanks to her team’s dominant pitchers. But then, suddenly, “You get the opportunity to make a catch, (and) that’s what you live for.” But how do you stay awake during a mind-numbing no-hitter? “You try to think of new cheers or something.”
Coach’s corner: Archbishop Murphy head coach Brad Johnson said of Robinett, “One of her great qualities is how she’s able to get everybody organized. … She is very responsible.” Robinett also has a great throwing arm, Johnson said. During a preseason jamboree at Everett High, she threw out an Inglemoor runner at home plate.
Proudest sports moment: Last year at the district tournament with her team trailing Meridian 3-2 in the championship game, Robinett led off the seventh inning with a triple and scored on a suicide squeeze play. Murphy went on to beat Meridian 4-3.
Evil eyes: Thanks to her spooky red eyes, Robinett gets some pretty strange looks. But don’t fear – she’s no devil child. Robinett uses a set of tinted, prescription contact lenses that help her to better see the seams on the softball. The lenses are actually orange but look blood red when she wears them. Robinett, who said the contacts work best in sunny weather, freaked out her coach at her demon-eyed debut. “When she came out of the dugout, she looked like Marilyn Manson,” said coach Johnson, referring to the often shockingly dressed musician known for wearing creepy contacts. One time, Robinett wore the contacts to school and created a stir in the lunchroom: “I made a few people scream. … ‘Hey, there’s the devil kid!’”
No slack: Robinett ran cross country the past two seasons at Murphy “just for the fun and to stay in shape.” The running made her faster for softball. Comparing the two sports, she said, “There’s no slacking in softball, but in cross country when you run through the woods you have free reign to walk if you want. … But I never did that.” Riiiiight.
Favorite sports movie: “Angels in the Outfield” (1994) starring Danny Glover, Christopher Lloyd and Tony Danza. “It’s partly because my brother watches it all the time,” Robinett said. “I know every line of it now.”
Nicknames: Ash, Smash, A-Rob.
Diamond queen: Robinett was voted queen for her senior homecoming. She said the experience was loads of fun, and she didn’t mind spending time with the king – mainly because it was senior Shiloh Keo, her boyfriend of two years.
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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