Music has been prominent throughout Eden Echevarria’s life.
The Antioch senior says her father, Saúl, has a recording studio in their house.
“I know how to sing and play the piano, the guitar and the drums,” Eden Echevarria said. “I’m pretty good at singing and playing the piano.
“I almost sang the national anthem during my sophomore year. I didn’t seize the opportunity. I might try it again now that I’m older.”
Of course, Eden Echevarria is best known for seizing opportunities on the softball field. A Wisconsin recruit, she hit .377 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs last season, when the Sequoits won the Class 3A third-place game, and she is one of the top-ranked players in the country.
Her father said she was a natural in both music and softball from a young age.
“There’s always something laying around my house to play,” Saúl Echevarria said. “Eden has grown up having instruments at her disposal.
“She’s never taken formal lessons in music. Everything she has done musically has been by ear. Softball has been more formal.”
Softball and music came together, in a way, when Eden Echevarria spent a few days last June playing in the Colorado Triple Crown International Challenge. She was one of just two players from the Midwest on Team Puerto Rico, which won the silver medal in the 16U division.
Eden Echevarria, whose grandparents were born in Puerto Rico, said she cherished bonding with teammates from around the country who share a heritage and a passion for softball. Her father was happy to witness it.
“I was over the moon to see her play,” said Saúl Echevarria, who coached her for several years. “It was so emotional. It was a good time for me to sit back and watch her play.
“Being a musician and a Puerto Rican, I went to Home Depot and got a bunch of buckets and drumsticks and led the crowd. I gave a bunch out to the crowd. It was almost pitch-by-pitch drumming going on. I think she was proud of it. A lot of her teammates looked around. This is what baseball/softball is about. It was a learning moment for them, a moment to take in pride for your culture.”
Eden Echevarria said it was a powerful experience.
“It really was the two things I love the most coming together, and it felt exhilarating,” she said. “It was really special for me. I had seen the World Baseball Classic games and how Puerto Ricans supported their teams. The energy was electric, so to have experienced it firsthand was amazing.”
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Eden Echevarria, a leadoff hitter and versatile infielder/outfielder who was picked for the 3A all-state first team last year, enters this season ranked No. 10 in the 2023 class by Perfect Game Softball. She is a captain for the Sequoits, who went 30-4 last season, won the Northern Lake County Conference title and beat Mahomet-Seymour 1-0 in the 3A third-place game behind then-sophomore ace Jacey Schuler, a Michigan State recruit.
Antioch coach Anthony Rocco, who loaded up the Sequoits’ schedule with elite teams to prepare Echevarria and her teammates for a run at the program’s first state championship, called her “an explosive athlete.”
“She can play multiple positions and be a threat at the plate and as a base runner,” Rocco said. “She’s super consistent and sets the table for us.”
Among the 5-foot-2 Echevarria’s strengths, she packs an unusual punch with her swing. She hit 22 home runs over the past two seasons.
“If you have the right mechanics, you can generate power,” she said. “I had to put on weight, lift a lot and work on my fundamentals. I’m definitely the strongest I’ve ever been now.”
Her father joked that she is “a really big person in a really small town and a short body.”
Eden Echevarria acknowledged that gaining a national reputation and helping Antioch emerge as a statewide power have drawn some unexpected attention in the community.
“I think people in the past year know my name in school,” she said. “It’s mostly classmates hearing about our accomplishments.
“About a month ago at Culver’s, someone came up to me and said I was a good softball player. I don’t look like this huge, powerful softball player. It’s definitely strange having people come up to you.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.