This is Brentt Eads of Line Drive Media.

At the end of every year, we go through our more than 1,000 articles published on the site and come up with our Top 10 Stories of the Year.

Spoiler alert: this will be one of them.

Why?

Because it’s a powerful story of how even an elite athlete can be overwhelmed with pressure, doubts and fears, but ultimately find peace and redemption.

It is truly one of the top success stories you’ll read this year… and the lessons learned from it are literally life changing.

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An Elite Catcher Recruited by Multiple Power 4 Programs

Hollynn Gentry is one of the top catchers in the Class of 2027 and has accomplished about everything there is to do in softball.

She plays for one of the top club programs in the country—Athletics Mercado—and has played on the highest of stages and been part of winning elite national tournaments.

She attends a very accomplished high school for sports, Norco (Calif.) High, and has been 1^st Team All-Lague and League Defensive MVP.

In the summer of last year (July 23, 2025, to be specific) we published an edition of “The Final Pitch” that featured Hollynn and detailed her impressive journey to being an elite catcher.

In the heat of the recruiting process for her class, Hollynn was one of the most heavily sought-after catchers in the 2027 class and had calls and trip offers from top schools such as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, UCLA and Texas Tech.

Ultimately, it came down to two powerhouse college softball programs—Texas Tech and Oklahoma—before she chose Gerry Glasco’s Red Raiders.

Here’s what her club coach Mark Smith with the Athletics Mercado 18U Smith team says of his outstanding backstop:

“I’ve had the pleasure of coaching her for the last four years,” he begins.

“Everyone knows she’s a great softball player, and everyone is starting to know how deeply passionate Hollynn is with her faith. I think the most impressive thing with Holls is the growth she has shown year to year in her approach to being a leader on the field.”

“I think she has really taken a big step in wanting to be more than a good player and teammate; she has really embraced taking on a leadership role this season.”

“It’s very refreshing to see her take these steps that will pay dividends this year and with her time at Texas Tech.”

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The Growing Problem No One Knew About

Yes, Hollynn was at the pinnacle of her sport… but here was just one problem: she was miserable and so overwhelmed at times that she felt it wasn’t worth it anymore.

And by “it,” we’re not talking just softball… we’re talking life.

The So Cal student-athlete remembers when softball stopped being a game and became more stressful.

“It was my freshman year,” Hollynn says. “I put way too much pressure on myself that year and lost the having fun part.”

Eventually, the self-induced pressure became all but unbearable but, for the most part, the talented athlete kept the increasing stress and despair to herself.

She continued to shine on the softball field and over time accepted Jesus Christ in her life and was very passionate about her faith.

In June of this year, while playing in Colorado for IDT and the Patriot Games—which her team won, Hollynn was asked to speak at an event called Jesus in the Circle Eyes Up. She was to take a few minutes as one of three speakers and share her testimony before an overflow crowd of more than 200 people.

To say it was amazing would be the understatement of the year.

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The Video Testimony That Says It All

She got up and in 8 ½ minutes bore a powerful and emotional testimony that had onlookers cheering.

But during her speech, Hollynn dropped a bombshell: this incredibly accomplished and successful softball player felt so lost in her own skin at one point, that she thought there was only one way out of the pain she was in…

That was to end her life, and she got so close one night that she wrote goodbye notes to her family members.

This wonderfully articulate and captivating young athlete remembers now that awful mindset she was in that fateful night.

“I don’t think I can put in words the thought process behind that night,” Hollyann says plaintively. “I just did not want to be here anymore and go through mental torture that was going through my brain. I just felt I would be better off not here.”

So what changed her heart? And her soul?

Here is that testimony shared in Colorado and, as you’ll see, it’s one of the most impactful and powerful videos you’ll ever see in how a life was literally saved and changed for so so SO much the better:

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Finding the Light of Jesus Christ

In the depths of her despair, when it looked like there was no hope and reason to move forward, the answer came to Hollynn… literally, an answer from the heavens.

“It is very hard to describe in detail what is going on in your mind when you are in a place of desperation,” she bravely recalls.

“I heard a voice in my mind telling me to give it one last chance. Once last chance to find purpose for my life, something worth living for.”

“Then I heard another voice say, ‘Open Your Bible.’”

“I tried to convince myself that that was my own mind telling me this. Then it was as if somebody was physically shaking me and telling me: ‘Open Your Bible!”

“I knew it was God. I opened my bible to Isaiah 8:11 which was titled A Call to Trust the Lord.”

Editor’s note: here’s what it that verse says:

“For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand  and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people.”

“I just broke down and knew that God had just saved me from taking my own life. It was like the heaviest weight was just lifted off me. I knew right then that He had a plan and a purpose for my life that is so much bigger than softball. Words can’t even describe it.”

“I knew my life would change from that point forward. He literally saved me. That night I found my purpose.

“I want to add that after my Jesus encounter, which I state in my testimony, I have never really felt that type of pressure in softball ever again.”

“I still feel pressure to perform in this sport because that is what creates that competitive edge. But the pressure is in a positive way. Through all this I have learned how to balance me as an athlete and me as a person (A child of the Living God).”

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Finding Purpose in 4HG… & Playing for an “Audience of One”

Looking back on that fateful night, Hollynn only has humble appreciation for what she felt was the hand of God pointing the young athlete in the right direction, one that she has embraced whole-heartedly to this day.

“That night I found my purpose,” she explains, “to be myself as a child of God.Now I’m able to play for an Audience of One and I’m not going to lie—I still go through my struggles but, by the grace of God, He saved me that night.”

Today, Hollynn is not only busy with school and softball, she’s also running her own faith-based website—www.fourhisglory.com–-which she says stands for “FOUR HIS GLORY! – Empowering Words For His Glory.”

The brand is 4HG—which represents For His Glory—and the high school senior reveals there are multiple meanings to it.

“Most people think is because my softball number is 4 and my initials are ‘HG,’” Hollynn explains, “but there is a way deeper meaning. My freshman year, one of my teammate’s dads, Brian Bambarger (@hbamic)who is an amazing Christian man, would always yell out when I was up to bat: “Audience of One!”

“Today, it’s more a reminder of who we’re playing for,” she explains. “It helps me reset and that I’m playing for Him and no one else. And it’s a reminder for others too.”

Hollynn admits her blossoming apparel business is “just in the beginning stages,” but she adds:

“I intend to grow my business and will be selling other faith-based merchandise soon. My big goal, by the time I am done with college, is to have my own 4HG catchers’ gear. I already know what I want it to look like (laughs!)”

“But that is far in the future. We can introduce it by incorporating the fact that my brand started through my struggle and I wanted to create something that created an open door for people to ask about Jesus. Wearing clothing about God is a walking billboard for people to see. It also is a reminder that God is in control of all things.”

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More with Hollynn… Our Line Drive Media Exclusive Q&A

Hollynn’s story continues to amaze, especially how she turned a dark period of her life into a major positive that uplifts and inspires so many others.

We asked her to share more about her journey and how it led her to becoming the confident and spiritual person she is today… here’s what she had to say:

You mentioned you started struggling your freshman year, how much you had to work out and went into a dark space… is this when the problems first started?

My freshman year was when I started to feel like my identity was only in how good I was as a softball player. I felt I needed to be the best all the time to try to please everybody, my parents, my coaches, college coaches and myself.

I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect; it literally took over my life. But my struggle did not really start there. I always struggled growing up feeling different. It is kind of hard to explain but I never really fit in if that makes sense.

You got pulled up to 18U when you were 14U eligible, correct? Was that a good thing or a bad thing or both looking back?

I was on Athletics Mercado RC second year 14’s and that following season, I skipped 16’s and went to Athletics Mercado – Smith 18U Gold, which was one of the top 18’s in the country.

I ended up being the starting catcher on that team my freshman year and it was most definitely a good thing looking back. It really put me on the map with colleges.

I knew I would struggle a bit with hitting considering I was facing some of the top 18U pitchers in the country, but I actually did pretty good.

I just think mentally, I put way too much pressure on myself feeling like I had something to prove.

You said your name got bigger that summer, did it start putting pressure on you to succeed?

I did not realize the number of college coaches that would be at our games, and it was a bit overwhelming at times.

Also, being a catcher, I had to learn how to lead a team of girls that were all committed to top colleges. I had to learn how to get my pitchers to trust me. 

It did make me put pressure on myself to perform at the highest level possible, which was not a bad thing.

The bad part was I could not stop thinking about softball 24/7. It became my idol in a sense. It became who I was all the time and that was hard.

You mentioned panic attacks and worries about not being perfect… how did that pressure grow over time?

After PGF—the end of my freshman year, and summer before sophomore year—there was a situation that happened that put me into a very dark place mentally.

I could not stop thinking that I was worthless. I started to hate this game that was taking over my life, but I continued to work harder and harder to the point of breaking.

I could not get myself out of this mental state no matter how hard I tried. I would go into the cages to hit and if I didn’t hit good, I would go into full panic mode. I could not figure out who I was outside of softball. My identity was softball.

The recruiting process—you had Oklahoma and Texas Tech as final options along with several other elite programs pursuing you. Did having to decide where you’d sign add pressure?

I originally had visits set up with Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech and UCLA and my final two options were between Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Both schools and coaches were amazing, and I could not say anything negative about either program. It was most definitely one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, but I let God lead the way.

My family and I prayed relentlessly that the Lord will make it very clear to me where He wanted me to be. I know that God is not a God of confusion and that He would make it abundantly clear where He wanted me to be.

And he did!

The night before I committed, I was so torn. My mom told me to go to bed and pray about it and in the morning, God will show you where He wants you so I did.

In the morning, all these things started falling into place. God literally started putting the pieces together right in front of our faces. It was abundantly clear that he was leading me to Texas to play at Texas Tech!

Such a great story! And now it appears you’ve found your identity and the best is yet to come!

After that night Jesus saved me. I knew I found my purpose.

I knew that God had blessed me with the talent and ability as a softball player to use my platform to shine for Him and to share my story. I know that God wants me to be a light and help athletes that have gone through similar situations to see that this life is bigger than softball.

Through the struggle comes strength. God pulled me from the depth of despair and created this fire in my soul for Him. Everything I do is For His Glory not mine or anybody else!

I play for an Audience of One!  Which is how my brand 4HG was born.

I want to leave a legacy not just in softball but as a child of God. I want everybody to know that My God is Bigger than anxiety, depression, feeling unworthy etc. He created us in His likeness.

He loves us more than we can ever imagine.

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Meet the Gentry Family

You can see where Hollynn gets her strength—she comes from a loving and supportive family.

Born in Fontana, Calif., she started playing softball at age 11 and had a great teacher as her father, Garett, played pro baseball, being drafted by the Astros before being traded to the Rockies but ultimately having to retire due to injuries.

He ultimately became a catching coach and took up with the Athletics Mercado org where he helped coach the 12U HR/Gentry 2033 team in the Murietta, Calif. area. Today, he will work with as many as 50 students in a group lesson and Hollynn will assist him as well.

Another benefit for Hollynn going to Lubbock, Texas to play for Texas Tech is her older sister, Hannan, has the opportunity to go to Texas and be with her softball-playing sibling.

And you can be sure all of the family–especially mom Carly!–will be attending as many Red Raiders softball games as possible in the near future!