Oswego High Alumna Contributes To Including Women in MLB The Show Video Game

Photo: Oswego School District SD308

A lot of kids dream of being involved in the development of video games. Very few get to realize that dream. Ever fewer get to make the impact that Oswego’s Ashley Sanders has had a hand in.

MLB The Show 24 now features a career mode that allows gamers to create a female player and steer her journey to the big leagues, thanks in part to Oswego High School graduate Ashley Sanders.

Sanders, who now lives in San Diego, isa part of the development team for MLB The Show. Following her graduation from Oswego High School, Sanders attended Aurora University where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English as well as a Bachelor of Science in Health Science, in addition to two minors, psychology and chemistry.

She was recently featured during an NBC news segment highlighting her work toward women’s representation as a Content Specialist at Sony Interactive Entertainment. As a member of the team, her job is to create content for the video game that reflects what’s happening in the current season.

Ashley appears about 1:43 into the video.

The new female character featured in the latest version of MLB: The Show is inspired by Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman to play for a Major League Baseball affiliated team.

A lifelong baseball lover and ardent Chicago White Sox fan, Sanders emphasized the importance of representation of women and girls in the sport during an interview with District 308. Women have been involved in baseball for decades, she pointed out, from cheering in the stands, to their involvement in the Negro Leagues, stepping in during World War II, and holding ownership and leadership positions.

“It’s amazing that we can now fully encompass and encapsulate that, so women are equal in the spotlight,” she said.

For kids trying to work their way up, Sanders’ advice is to dream big and put in the work. “Don’t let a dream just go to the side,” she said. “It can absolutely happen. You control your own destiny. If you put in the work now and enhance your writing skills, your math skills, even if you don’t use the pythagorean theorem, all the different skills and learning and critical thinking come in handy to make your dream a reality.”

Kids these days!