Early Playing Career
Toni Stone played softball for the St. Paul HighLex girls’softball team, but she quit a little after a year because the speed of the game wasn’t fast enough. Wanting to continue playing on a boys’ team, Toni Stone found Gabby Street, who had a boys’ baseball school, and began to follow him around. She asked him for many opportunities to show Street what she had to offer, and eventually he gave in. He was amazed by her ability to sweep up ground balls, talent of knowing when to swing the bat, and was amazed by her accurate arm. Toni Stone’s birthday was coming up and after confiding in Street that she wished she had more professional equipment, Street bought her baseball shoes for her fifteenth birthday. Stone believed the gift of the baseball cleats were a sign of validation – Street’s belief that she could be someone in baseball.
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