As freshman softball player Alivia Wahl walks up to the plate, she turns to face the opposing pitcher. 

That’s when a clear view of the No. 13 can be seen on the back of her uniform. To some the number is unlucky, but to Wahl it holds a special meaning. 

Three years ago, it was her sister Savannah Dickson wearing No. 13 before her high school career was abruptly cut short. 

Wahl was too young to understand the consequences of her half-sister’s car accident in February 2017 that required multiple surgeries. She didn’t know that Dickson’s injury left her sibling unable to play. 

“It was really hard for everyone and I didn’t know what was happening at first, but once I found out it was really bad and sad,” Wahl said. “It just hurt.” 

Former Rider softball coach Alisha Crouch said Dickson was a dream to have on the team. Lots of range, quick and focused were some of the words used to describe the shortstop. This was the legacy Wahl inherited when she was promoted to varsity during her freshman year. 

“It’s just that I want to live up to that,” Wahl said. “The older girls know who she was and I just want to be as good as she was.”  

Other than the motivation to uphold her sister’s legacy, Wahl brings much more to the table and she’s using her strengths to create her own name for herself as a pitcher and hitter. 

“She will compete. No matter what we’re doing, who we’re playing, she will compete with every pitch, every play on and off the field,” softball coach Abby Bates said. 

Away from the diamond, Wahl’s bubbly and a jokester, but her passion for softball is still there. 

“She wants to do things the right way and just listening to her talk about softball. …She’s a lot like her sister,” said Crouch, who coached Dickson and is very close to the family. 

The resemblance is strong especially with both of the sisters’ drive for the sport and Wahl carries on that competitive edge.

“I just wanted to be as best as I could because she didn’t really finish her years (playing on the team) so I want to be able to do it,”  Wahl said.