Dynamic Addie Frank Makes Her Mark on the Baseball and Softball Diamond
By Jeff Strange
For Oakville (MO) High School sophomore and Missouri Bombers ’08 Gold/Arizona Peaches athlete Addie Frank, taking an annual trip to train with the USA Women’s National Baseball team in Vero Beach, FL has become a tradition over the past few years. She will be making her way back to the Jackie Robinson facility again in early November as an official prospect in the invite-only Breakthrough Series event that is conducted on behalf of USA Baseball and Major League Baseball.
Quite a prestigious honor for the left-handed hitting/left-handed throwing Frank, who has developed a reputation as one of the top youth female baseball players in the country.
However, shortly after her trip to Florida in early November for the MLB and USA Baseball backed event, Frank will find her way back to the MLB Jackie Robinson Training Center in Vero Beach to participate in the invite-only USA Softball High Performance Program National Selection Event. Often referred to as “The Pipeline to the Women’s National Team,” the USA Softball High Performance Program aims to identify a group of athletes to train, compete and represent USA Softball through national and international competition.
As an athlete that has been highly recognized for her skills in both sports, Frank has come a long ways since she was an 8-year old baseball player hitting bombs over the fence at nearby Affton Athletic Association.
“I started playing baseball because my two older brothers both played and I always played catch with them and went to their games and loved it,” said Frank. “I didn’t even think about playing softball. I just wanted to play baseball. It started being fun in tee ball when I would hit the ball farther and harder than everyone else at Affton – into the woods – and then especially when I was 8 and started pitching baseball games and everyone would cheer for me.”
As her love for baseball grew, Frank found success through various routines such as hitting in the cages, getting defensive reps in and working on her throwing mechanics almost daily. Often, it was her family members that helped build the foundation for her skillset.
“My dad was always my main hitting coach,” said Frank. “I’ve worked with other hitting instructors throughout the years, mainly to tweak little things I’m working on. My brother would hit the ball as hard as he could at me and I would make the plays. He would always laugh and get excited and try to hit it harder and harder. It was a lot of fun and it made it so that I am not afraid of the ball.”
Frank continued to play club baseball through this past summer, usually hitting in the top or middle of the order and started at 1B. She also has spent significant time on the mound, often finding herself pitching on Sunday. Currently slated to play with the Arizona Peaches all girls baseball team, Frank has hopes to one-day play on the USA Women’s National Baseball team.
Those aspirations prompted an eagerness to get onto the softball diamond a little over a year ago. As a freshman at Oakville (MO) High School, Frank tried out for the team and immediately found success, ending her first season with the following awards:
- 1st Team All-District
- 1st Team All-Conference
- 1st Team All-Region
- 2nd Team All-State
- 1st Team All-Metro for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Despite the success with softball in her first season, there were some adjustments in the box and in the field that Frank had to initially implement to find her groove.
“At first I struggled with my timing at the plate, and it was a little weird to get used to the pitching,” said Frank. “The pitchers were so close and I was facing some of the best arms around the country and it was hard to know when to load. But then I got used to it, and the ball started looking like a beach ball to me. Defensively, I learned that everything had to be as fast as possible, and you don’t have as much time. I had to be quick.”
Frank’s approach, work ethic and willingness to adjust has also reaped benefits for her achievements.
“Offensively, I think my mechanics and intent make the difference,” said Frank. “With less than 2 strikes, I treat everything like a 3-1 count, looking for something I can hit as hard as I can. When I get two strikes, I battle. Defensively, I have worked hard on having good fielding mechanics and to have quick hands and feet. I’m always looking to get that next out. I just feel like I really understand the game and love to play it. But, I feel like I really started to become athletic when I started working out four times a week. It’s really made a difference for me. Especially in my confidence on the field.”
In the midst of a productive sophomore campaign, Frank was slashing with a line of .565/.654/.839/1.493 with 35 hits in 62 ABs, including 3 home runs, 6 doubles, 15 walks and 28 runs scored. Perhaps her most proud stat is that she had only struck out once in 78 plate appearances upon submission of this interview.
“When I get two strikes, I battle,” said Addie. “I hate striking out.”
As the conclusion of her 10th grade softball season approaches, the class of 2026 baseball/softball standout has her eyes on her two upcoming Florida events, in addition to joining her Missouri Bombers ’08 Gold softball team and Arizona Peaches baseball team.
Her goals on the softball diamond mimic those on the baseball diamond. The combination of her work ethic and her reputation as a standout in both sports might just lead to uncharted territories.
“You have to work hard and not expect it to be easy,” said Frank. “It takes time and patience. You may not see improvements from day to day. It takes months and years, but when you finally see it, you know it was all worth it. I want to play D1 softball in college and try to play for Team USA Softball. I want to play on the USA Women’s National Baseball team as well. I think it would be a lot of fun to play both baseball and softball for the women’s national teams.”
