TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — For many of the underclassmen on this year’s Florida State softball team the trip to Oklahoma City became the first of what they hope were many return visits back. The environment of a 12,000 plus packed stadium can be a little overwhelming when experiencing it for the first time. But for freshman outfielder D’Aun Riggs she had some inside help to navigate the emotions of the past week.
It’s not all too often you can say your sister played division one softball, let alone played on the team you happen to be on now. But for D’Aun and her older sister Jessica (Gilmore Wells) that’s their exact story. Jessica, a member of the Seminoles from 2007 to 2009 playing under both head coaches JoAnne Graf and Lonni Alameda made the trip to OKC with the rest of her family to cheer on sister D’Aun and the Noles. Like most siblings the two have always shared a small rivalry between them. However D’Aun found comfort in knowing her big sister could guide her through the ups and downs of this past week.
“It’s awesome because I can put my two cents in like I’ve lived it, I’ve done it, that kind of aspect of it too. But just seeing the way they prepared everything for it now, I’m like oh man that’s so cool, make sure you do this and this. And she (D’Aun) goes yea we did all that plus this and this. And I’m like oh man if only we had that, you know," said Jessica Gilmore Wells, the older sister of D'Aun Riggs.
"But we’ve always had that little thing where my sister got to do this and I want to and this is something that I never got to experience. So I was like you’re so lucky and awesome. But I’m just so proud of her that she got to experience that. And that I was able to be there to support her as well.”
