SECOND CHANCE

Although she played in the World Series with Arizona as a freshman in 2022, Amber Toven actually thought about giving up softball altogether before entering the transfer portal and eventually ending up at Baylor.

"Honestly, Baylor has given me a second chance at softball," said Toven, a redshirt senior shortstop who is hitting .379 with five homers and 33 RBIs going into a weekend series against Houston. "(After my freshman year), there was a thought that I just didn't want to play anymore. I was like, 'I'm okay with not playing; this isn't for me.' But Baylor believed in me."

Used predominantly as a pinch-runner in her one season at Arizona, Toven is arguably the best defensive shortstop in Baylor softball program history and a career .300 hitter with 11 home runs, 25 doubles and 85 RBIs.

"The Amber Tovens motivate me and make me a better coach," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team is 22-12 overall and 5-4 in Big 12 play going into the series against the Houston Cougars (18-21, 1-11) that starts with Thursday's 6:30 p.m. game at Getterman Stadium.

"While her defensive ability is off-the-charts, like Ozzie Smith off-the-charts, it's her passion for the game that makes me want to give her everything she needs to achieve. She has as much joy in playing this game as anyone, and she can play. She makes everyone better. Simply said, I absolutely love the way she plays the middle, but more so I love the youthful spirit that she has when she steps on the field."

That "passion for the game" is what was rekindled when Amber transferred to Baylor nearly four years ago.

"Mostly, I was looking for a good coaching staff that cared for me outside of softball," she said. "I feel like most of the time in sports, you're just seen as a stat or a number and what you can do to provide for the team's success. Which, that's important. But having coaches that care for you outside of softball and performance is something I was looking forward to finding. And Baylor had that."

Amber also found a former travel ball teammate, fellow California native Presleigh Pilon, a transfer from LSU who stepped in at second base. That middle infield combo helped the Bears set a program record with 31 double plays in that 2023 season.

"I was just excited to get to see her again," Amber said of Pilon. "We weren't really thinking about setting any kind of record. Neither one of us had played a lot at our previous schools, so just getting to showcase that Coach Moore believes in us was kind of the main thing. The double play record just happened to come along. We were just a good duo up the middle."

The next year, Pilon was forced to move over to shortstop when Amber suffered a torn ACL seven games into the 2024 season.

"I knew something was wrong, for sure," Amber said. "I was actually scared to look down, because I was thinking, 'I'm pretty sure my leg is no longer attached to my body.' I had never gone through a serious injury like that, so I was just thinking about all the what-ifs. When you're not playing, you're just kind of sitting with your thoughts. But that was hard."

Those what-if feelings came flooding back a few months later, when the Bears lost to fourth-ranked Florida, 5-3, in Game 3 of the Gainesville Super Regional, with a World Series berth on the line.

"It was difficult knowing that I couldn't physically be on the field," Amber said. "But I was just grateful to be there in that moment, because I felt like Baylor softball was making history. The fact that I was wearing Baylor across my chest, whether I'm on that field or not, was very special to me. I kept thinking, if we make it to the World Series, even if I'm not playing . . . there's not another team I'd want to be doing this with."

Back on the field at the start of the 2025 season, Amber said she was "finally playing freely."

"I think I always have played that way," she said, "but mentally, I had gone through the hardest year of my life leading up to the season where I could play again. Going through something like that was pretty traumatic. It made me appreciate the sport even more. Even life in general, when something gets taken away from you . . . it really puts things in perspective. I was just grateful to be on that field, knowing that Coach Moore had confidence in me to come back."

Despite not making it to postseason play for the first time in her career, Amber calls that 2025 team "so special" because of the senior trio of Pilon, Shaylon Govan and Shannon Vivoda.

"Those are the three girls that I came into Baylor with. We all transferred in together," Amber said. "Not being able to make postseason for them in their final year definitely hurt, but I think a lot of great memories were made. And I think it motivated me even more for this year, wanting to get back to the postseason."

At No. 27 in the latest RPI rankings, the Bears are certainly headed in the right direction, recording conference series wins over Iowa State and UCF.

As one of the older players on a team loaded with youth – 18 first- or second-year players – Amber said she tries to be "the voice of reason and letting them know that it's okay and things will work out."

"There's times where those freshmen are running around with their hair on fire," she said.

One of Amber's biggest Baylor moments came in her first year, when she was baptized during the team's spiritual retreat in January.

"Seeing all the girls talk about God and their personal experiences and their testimonies, it really did move me," she said. "I had never felt this way, ever. It was just one of those a-ha moments. I remember listening to Ana Watson's testimony before she was getting baptized the next day, and it sparked something in me. it made me way to follow Christ. I ended up getting baptized the next day as well. My faith has grown a lot since I first got to Baylor."

Graduating last August with a communications degree, Amber is working on an online grad program in interdisciplinary studies and wants to do something in social media marketing post-grad. But first, she'd like to finish out this season with a bookend trip to the World Series and then possibly pursue a pro softball career.

"I'm leaning more towards Europe or Mexico. I think that could be really fun," she said. "Coach Moore was telling me how Dani Leal, who played here years ago, has some ties to the league in Mexico. I don't know yet. But if that's in the cards for me, then yes, I think I would do it. Why not?"

Players Mentioned

Shaylon Govan

Presleigh Pilon

Amber Toven

Shannon Vivoda

Footer