Geri Ann Glasco was one-in-a-million, someone who made the world better. The women working in the front office of Oconee County High School were certain of this.
Action in the stuffy office slowed as Glasco was mentioned. Everyone had something to say about her. Anyone who met Glasco was ready to spend as much time as it took to convey how special she was.
Glasco, 24, starred for the Georgia softball team in the 2013 and 2014 seasons before transferring to Oregon. In addition to excelling athletically, she was a special education major.
Glasco died in a car accident on Jan. 24 in Louisiana, leaving behind a telling legacy.
During her senior year on the Oconee County softball team, Glasco was named the 2012 Gatorade High School National Player of the Year, the most prestigious honor given to high school athletes. The award is given based on three criteria: athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.
Glasco was a standout throughout high school. During her senior year, she had a .564 batting average, 62 RBIs and a Georgia single-season state record 24 home runs. She only struck out three times that season.
“I’ve coached a lot of really good softball players—not any as good as her,” Oconee County head softball coach Bryan Eades said.
Glasco’s success carried over to Georgia immediately. As a freshman, Glasco hit .363 and had a 17-8 record on the mound in 2013.
“She was such a determined, fierce competitor, and she didn’t take [softball] lightly,” Georgia softball head coach Lu Harris-Champer said.
Georgia pitcher Geri Ann Glasco (12) smiles while rounding the bases during a NCAA softball game in Athens, Ga., Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. (Evan Stichler, evansan8@gmail.com)
Glasco’s athletic achievements were extraordinary, but they were not a byproduct of elite natural talent. Gerry Glasco, her father and head softball coach at Louisiana, said he did not expect her to have a future in softball until she was in middle school.
“You could tell at that point—about sixth grade—that she was going to work so hard, [her athletic ability] wouldn’t matter,” he said.
Glasco’s determination mirrored her behavior off the field. Though she excelled athletically and academically, she stood out most with the other factor of the Gatorade Player of the Year Award: exemplary character.
“She would give you the shoes off her own feet if you needed them,” Harris-Champer said. “She was just a selfless soul.”
Prior to her death, she was the volunteer assistant coach at Louisiana for the 2019 season, working under her father for the Ragin’ Cajuns softball team. Glasco’s father knew she would have wanted to give back and do something that affected the lives of others.
Glasco’s father met Natasha Watley, a two-time Olympic medalist, in 2014 when coaching the USSSA Pride.
The Natasha Watley Foundation uses softball to inspire and empower girls in underserved communities. In honor of Glasco, the foundation has created a fund that will help young softball coaches, less than three years removed from college, break into the business.
“I was thinking about doing something small, but [the foundation] decided to do something for young female coaches because it’s so hard to start out in coaching,” Glasco’s father said.
As her legacy continues and the foundation helps other coaches who follow in her path, Glasco will be remembered for her athletic achievements, dedication to service and care for others.
“She had a sweet spirit,” Glasco’s father said. “But, was she perfect? No. She was human just like all of us.”
