Softball Helps 2028 Gemma DeJoseph Overcome Grief

Gemma DeJoseph Gemma DeJoseph 3B/SS Delran | 2028 NJ couldn't have imagined a better start to her first PGF Nationals appearance. In the summer of 2023, DeJoseph traveled with her father to Huntington Beach, California to compete with her 12U travel team. She was feeling on top of the world after hitting a home run, and immediately called her mom back home in New Jersey to tell her all about it.

Everything came crashing down a few hours later. 

DeJoseph woke up in her hotel room the following morning and learned her mother had died in her sleep of cardiac arrest. Leila Maria DeJoseph, a mother of four, was 41 years old.

“It was awful,” said DeJoseph, a 2028 recruit. “My whole team was there for me the entire morning. I wouldn't have been able to get through being there without them, because they were all there for me and made sure that I was okay.”

DeJoseph and her father took the first flight back to New Jersey to be with their family and mourn. 

“I didn't even want to touch a softball. I couldn't play softball without breaking down because it created bad memories,” DeJoseph said. “I tried hitting balls a few days after it happened just trying to get my mind off of it, but it made it worse. I just remember crying.”

DeJoseph gradually worked her way back to the field again by the fall. Although it was emotional, DeJoseph knew her mom would want her to continue playing. 

“I remember my first at-bat I hit a home run, and that's when I realized softball is what makes me happy,” she said. “It brought me so much joy, and that is what I want to do, because having a team being there for me is the best support I could have.”

DeJoseph first began playing softball at age 5 along with soccer, basketball, and dance. As she got older, she started to turn her focus more to the diamond.

“I fell in love with the game around age 8, when I first started realizing what it was all about,” she said. “My team went to Florida for the World Series and I realized that's what I wanted to do. I had so much fun out there. I thought it was a really cool experience. I think that's what opened my eyes up to everything that I could do.”

After spending nearly five years with the Newtown Rock Fastpitch, DeJoseph, a third baseman, joined Unity Amsler/Johnson 16U this year to get more exposure and pursue her goal of playing college softball. 

“After her mom passed away, softball is what got her through all of it,” said DeJoseph's father, Justin. “She still maintains straight A's in school. She's a good kid and she plays high-level softball, so I am really happy for her. It was definitely a hard thing for her or any child to process."

DeJoseph, the oldest of the four siblings, credits her dad for keeping the family going despite his own mourning period.

“He's the reason we literally are all still functioning,” said DeJoseph, a sophomore at Delran High School. “My dad has been my biggest supporter through it all. He made me realize all the hard work I've been through and the hard times. He said it shows how strong of a person I am to work through that and it also makes it feel a lot more rewarding.”

DeJoseph's 8-year-old sister Demi considers her big sister as her role model. Her two brothers, Blaise and Anthony, are always rooting for her success. Anthony, 11, has autism.

“I use him as motivation for doing well in softball too, because he can't live a normal life even though he really wants to,” DeJoseph said. “I also just want people to be aware of the impact it has on your life. It's hard to understand until you know someone who is living with it.”

DeJoseph will never fully overcome the loss of her mother. There are constant reminders every day. But she's grateful to have such a strong support system and something in her life that provides her with an escape.

“Softball brings me so much happiness,” she said. “I like meeting new people, and getting to do something that brings me freedom and peace. It doesn't stress me out. I love being successful and it brings me joy to do something well.”