Ashley Applegate: A Model In What It Means To Take The Most of An Opportunity

“LSU has amazing coaches, resources, and support staff that surround us during our careers and even after we finish who help mentor and guide us through it all; the good and the bad. LSU has given so much to me and I am forever grateful for my time spent there as a student-athlete. LSU is part of who I have become. I guess you can say I bleed purple and gold.” - Ashley Applegate: LSU Softball (2008-2012)

Ashley Applegate, born and raised in Modesto, California, was the epitome of what it meant to be a Tiger – she excelled in the classroom, in competition and in the community. On the field, Applegate excelled at the plate, leading the nationally-ranked Tigers in numerous offensive categories. As a junior, she started all 61 games, producing 20 RBIs, scoring 35 runs and reaching base in 54 of 61 games. Applegate returned from a 2011 medical redshirt junior season to play in 63 of 65 games as a senior. Her 36 hits, 21 walks, 19 runs scored, seven multi-hit efforts and five doubles were third on the team. She came back stronger than ever, going on a six-game hitting streak, which included all three games of the Arkansas series to match a career-long run. Applegate wrapped up her LSU career with 140 hits to finish 25th on LSU's all-time list. Over her career at LSU, she earned SEC Academic Honor Roll for three years, All-Louisiana Second team in 2010, and multiple community service honors. Community service was her passion. She served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for four years and devoted her time to different service projects. “I wanted to learn more about Baton Rouge and felt a desire to give back to the university who was giving so much to me,” said Applegate. In 2009, she was named to the SEC Softball Community Service Team, and in 2012, she earned SEC Brad Davis Community Service Postgraduate Scholarship. Applegate graduated in December 2011 with a degree in elementary education. 

And then:

After graduation, Applegate stayed at LSU to pursue a master’s in education with a curriculum and instruction specialization from 2011-2013. Following the completion of her master’s degree, she was hired as a first grade associate instructor at University Lab School, where she would begin her career.  It was through LSU’s SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and her time spent helping the community that she discovered how much she enjoyed teaching children. 

And now:

Applegate stayed in Baton Rouge following her time at LSU. She found herself somewhere she never expected, coaching softball and teaching at the University Lab School. She is the head softball coach for the middle school and high school teams, where she continues to be around the sport that she loves. The latest editions to her “team” are her husband Ryan St. Julian in November of 2020 and her baby boy Roman Phillip! Life is a blessing!