ROSENBERG — Pitching since she was 9, Lamar Consolidated’s Aubrey Edwards will take that talent to Prairie View A&M to continue that career at the next level.
With a few schools after her services, it was the one-time visit to the Panther campus that did it in for Jones.
“It felt like home and the coach is great,” Edwards said. “I felt welcomed and connected to each player, and the environment surrounding Prairie View it felt like home.
“Coach (Vernon) Bland is giving me the opportunity to continue playing the sport that I love. They saw me play a couple of times, he is an amazing coach who has won the SWAC three times, and I can’t wait to get there and start learning from him.”
Hills College, Southwest University and LSU Eunice also offered the Lady Mustang.
“I am so excited to play at the next level, but more importantly, I can’t wait to put that Prairie View A&M uniform on,” Edwards said. “I want to compete as hard as possible and continue the growth that I’ve been going through these past few seasons. During my visit, I felt the energy and support with the team. I really do think they are an all around good school. But as a player I am ready to see the big stage.”
An all-around player with the Lady Mustangs, Edwards finished last year’s season in an incredible finish with Lamar Consolidated winning the first district championship in school history.
“That was an amazing experience for all of us because we worked as a team, and we grinded every day at practice,” Edwards said. “I thought we worked real hard for that first district championship and having that experience with my sisters was amazing.”
The Lady Stangs won District 22-5A with an 11-1 mark, finishing 21-5 overall after bowing out in the area round to Pflugerville Weiss (10-0, 8-5).
“Once we found out that our school had never won a district title before, we knew that we could do this,” she said. “For us, it was a mission that we could accomplish which we did, but it wasn’t easy. To be the district champs for the first time in school history was amazing.”
Prairie View A&M softball plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference where they are led by A&M alum Vernon Bland, who is entering his 14th campaign. In 2024, Bland led the Panthers to a 23-1 conference championship which is the most softball wins in SWAC history. He broke his own record of a 22-2 conference mark set in 2023.
The Panthers finished the 2025 season in the SWAC Tournament losing in the third round to Bethune-Cookman (3-2).
“I started playing this game at 4 years old and was a first baseman, but once I got to the age of nine I started pitching,” Edwards said. “I wanted to be in position where I could start the game, and pitching was the obvious choice. By being a pitcher to me, it felt like I could get ahead of the game whenever I threw my first pitch.
Coach wanted me to be the pitcher and she also wanted me to be the leader of the team.”
Currently, Edwards is playing select ball with Allusions Gold Clevenger and is in her second season. Before that, she played with Unity Smith.
“Playing select has given me the reps along with the motivation to keep working harder and growing as a player,” she said.
An animal lover, Edwards wants to pursue a degree to be a veterinarian.
“I grew up with some animals, and I loved them and what they stood for,” she said. “So really I want to continue loving them and caring for them medically.”
