By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Azusa softball player and recent graduate Jillian Walker is just 17 years of age.

But this hard working, talented and giving young lady has suffered more heartbreak than most do in an entire lifetime.

Four years ago, while a freshman at Monrovia High School, the Walker’s got a phone call that their son, and Jillian’s brother, Jason Walker Junior, had been murdered in Mississippi.

In her sophomore year, the owners of the condo the Walker’s were renting wanted to move back into their place, which meant Jillian and her family spent four months living in a hotel.

In 2018, her grandma passed away.

And this past year, Jillian lost her two grandfather’s, as well as an aunt and uncle.

Somehow, though, this brave and strong young woman found the courage to fight through life’s most cruel tragedies, and a way to take her athletic career and life to new heights through hard work, unselfishness and yes, enough love to make the world light up.

Since she was a little girl, Walker chased the legend of her older sister, Hayley, who was always a star in softball.

And as her dad put it bluntly, “Jillian was not very good back then, and seemed to have two left feet,” Jason Walker Senior said.

But after more than a decade of work and travel ball and the past two years at Azusa for Aztezs’ coach George Penalbar, Walker earned a scholarship to Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois.

As mentioned earlier, her career didn’t get off to the greatest start as a little girl, but according to her family and coaches and peers, she’s always out-worked everyone because of that desire to be a top-tier athlete, and working hard has always been in her DNA.

Her parents, Jason and Trisha, have always been supportive and are astounded with the progress she’s made over her short life so far.

But it hasn’t surprised them, because they see what Jillian does on a daily basis to be the best student, athlete and person she can be.

Her coach put it best.

“When Jillian transferred to Azusa, two weeks in, she got injured and not knowing her very well, I didn’t know what to expect, nor did her teammates,” Penalbar said. “But here she was, day after day, doing anything and everything she could physically to improve, all while being injured. Her coaches and teammates were both inspired and impressed with her work ethic from that day forward.”

In her junior year, Walker hit .360, with 27 hits.

She scored 20 runs, had 15 RBIs, seven doubles and a team-high seven stolen bases.

Fast forward to 2019, and her senior year, and Walker did the Vanessa Williams anthem and “saved the best for last,” which included upping her average nearly 200 points.

She went into the season strongly considering playing at Citrus College, which is close to the family home in Azusa.

But because of her hard work as an athlete, and raising her GPA to nearly 3.4, she has found a home in Illinois.

Walker hit .538, with 35 hits, 34 runs scored and 22 RBIs.

She doubled twice, had two triples, three home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Walker had a .581 on-base percentage, .769 slugging percentage and has an OPS of 1.350.

She was second to her buddy and teammate Natalie Wilson, in average, hits, RBIs, on-base, slugging and OPS and was first in runs scored and stolen bases.

Walker was Azusa’s leadoff batter and set the tone offensively throughout the season.

“There was never any downtime for Jillian,” Penalbar said. “She’s always working hard and is very coachable. She is that old-school type of player where you can challenge her and she knows you’re doing it because we wanted to make her better and to reach the potential we believe she had. I think what I respect most about Jillian is her will to succeed and it really rubbed off on her teammates.”

What she probably doesn’t know, however, is how much joy she’s brought to both of her parents, but especially her dad, who lost his dad, brother and sister all within this past year.

“I was and I am struggling to get over so many deaths in such a small amount of time, and it’s very difficult, but when I’m at her games and I see the hard work pay off on the field, it brings such happiness to my heart, because Jillian has earned that success,” her father said. “On top of that, and despite being just a kid, she’s held our family together by being so unselfish and putting everyone else first, before she’s even thinking about her own needs. She is an amazing young woman and her mom and I are so proud of who she’s become.”

Jillian Walker is the kind of person that anyone and everyone can and should root for.

And while Walker will be 1, 870 miles from home in a couple months, the respect and love she’s earned from her school, teammates, coaches and family will still be transparent for all to see.

Even for those of us that have never been lucky enough to meet Jillian and her family, I can say, we send a huge group hug and love their way, and Jillian, please know you are and will continue to be an inspiration to so many people.