Missouri High School Softball Star Reveals Reason Behind Alabama Commitment

Missouri high school softball star Ava Bush has announced her commitment to Alabama and opened up about what led her there in an exclusive interview with Softball On SI.

Rock Bridge (Mo.) senior Ava Bush announced her commitment to play softball at Alabama. | Ava Bush X

Ava Bush has had quite the journey to her Alabama commitment. As she walked around the campus the first weekend in October, she couldn't help but soak in every moment.

The outfielder from Columbia, Mo., knew she was home as she toured campus and the facilities. On Sunday, she made the long-awaited announcement on social media.

"See you soon, Tuscaloosa," Bush wrote in a post on X. "I am honored and excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at the University of Alabama."

However, Alabama wasn't always on Bush's mind. That's what makes her story so unique.

The Rock Bridge senior was originally committed to Iowa until a coaching change threw her a curveball that she couldn't quite figure out.

"I decommitted from Iowa during their coaching change, and my thought process with that was I wanted the new coaches to recruit me and learn more about me and who I am as a player," Bush told Softball On SI via text on Monday. "My (club) coach, Eric Jones, helped me with that a ton. This was right before my summer season started, and I remember Eric telling me how I’m gonna have to stay patient, and he knows I am not a patient person when it comes to that stuff, so having him in my corner was huge."

What a steal for Alabama and at the same time, what a loss for the Big Ten. https://t.co/z2T3EagWxZ

— Maren Angus-Coombs (@Maren_Angus) October 5, 2025

Bush really wasn't sure if she made the right decision, opting to decommit after missing her recruiting summer with a knee injury. She fractured her cartilage while playing soccer and ended up having multiple surgeries. The first one came in April 2023, forcing her to miss the entire summer before her junior year.

"My surgeon was supposed to go in and just reattach the bone microscopically, but when he went in, it was too beat up to be put back, so he took it out, and I actually played with a hole in my knee for eight months before deciding to get a transplant," Bush said about her injury. "So, I have a piece of cartilage from a cadaver."

Bush didn't know what to expect while being uncommitted as a senior, but a phone call from Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy changed everything.

"While I was in Colorado, Patrick Murphy called, and honestly, I was shocked, but I was having a pretty good summer, and my mindset was to just play my game and good things will happen," Bush said. "After that, with the conversations I had with Murph, I knew that he was who I wanted to play for. The way he cares about his players on and off the field is something you don’t get a lot, and it was incredible."

That first phone call with Murphy was all it took for Bush to feel confident in spending the next four years at Alabama.

"As everyone said, patience is key, so I stayed patient and finished my summer season and started my high school season, and then I got a call and he asked me on a visit, and of course I said yes, and then I got to campus and just fell in love with it."

"It (the campus) is so beautiful, and the facilities are so nice," Bush added about what impressed her while on her visit. "I loved how nothing was really right on top of each other, but it was also not super spread out."

Bush didn't just start her senior season; she has quite literally been crushing it. Through 28 games, she has launched 20 home runs and driven in 57 runs while batting .518. Her 20 homers put her in the Missouri record books for home runs in a single season; the record is 23, and she is three shy of the state record for a career, which is 55.

Letsss go Ava Bush!!

She’s a testament to getting better everyday, and grinding out an unfortunate injury in the middle of her recruiting process! Hard work and commitment paid off big time for ya Ava!! https://t.co/Mqy8nCyi2d

— Eric Jones - Select Fastpitch (@ejonesrockchalk) October 5, 2025

Playing among some of the country's best athletes at the Division I level is a dream come true for Bush, and she's grateful for every obstacle she has had to overcome.

"This process was so crazy for me, from missing my whole recruiting summer due to a knee surgery and not knowing if I'd ever be able to plan again, to working every single day to get back to 100 percent.

"I’ve always dreamed of playing at the highest level, and it has always been a huge goal of mine, so through this process, I felt like it was always one step forward and three steps back. So, going to Alabama, playing with and against the best of the best, is one of the best feelings in the world, and also an even better opportunity that I am so beyond grateful for."

Bush and the Rock Bridge Bruins have four games left before the postseason, and maybe, just maybe, she will swing herself to the top of the record books.