Kennedie Anderson had just finished softball practice at York College in Nebraska and was about to take a nap when her phone rang. When she heard the words on the other end, she threw her phone and started crying.
One of her best friends, Paige Rydalch, of Stockton, Utah, was killed instantly in a two-car crash Monday morning on State Route 132 about 20 miles north of Ephraim, per Fox 13. She was 19.
“Why Paige?” Anderson said she repeatedly thought to herself. “I am heartbroken. There’s no words that you will ever be able to say enough when you find out one of your best friends has passed. You’re never prepared, and you’re never ready.
“It just was one of the worst moments in my life. And Paige has been there for the greatest moments of my life. It was just awful.”
(Kennedie Anderson) Kennedie Anderson, left, and Paige Rydalch pose for a photo.
Rydalch was a sophomore infielder for the Snow College softball team and an alumna of Tooele High School. She and Anderson shared the field at Tooele and reached two 4A state championship games together, winning one as sophomores in 2019.
Former teammates and coaches of Rydalch described her as a quiet, humble young woman who “loved hard” but became a “spitfire” once she stepped on the softball field. They marveled at her genuine kindness and desire to help others (she was studying to be a nurse), the way she held an even-keel demeanor even in the most challenging situations, and how she lit up a room just by being in it.
“She just had this ability to just pick you up even if you were having a bad day,” said Ayden Fitch, a Tooele High senior who played with Rydalch and will play at Snow next year.
Snow College held a vigil Tuesday night to honor Rydalch’s memory. Funeral details have not yet been released. Her family set up a crowdfunding page that had, at publication of this story, raised $14,456 of its $15,000 goal.
(Madisen Baker) Madisen Baker, left, poses for a photo with Paige Rydalch in their respective college softball uniforms.
One memory that has stuck with Madisen Baker, who played with Rydalch in high school, is how the two put up the hitting nets before every practice and collected the bases afterward. Another is from last November, when she visited Rydalch at Snow College for a weekend and was treated to her friend’s giving nature.
“She just kind of acted like my mom,” said Baker, who now plays at Salt Lake Community College. “She would make me breakfast every morning. She made sure I knew where the blankets were. You can just tell she cared for me like a sister. And I can honestly say that she was one of mine.”
Baker also said that one of the chants her Tooele teammates used during Rydalch’s at-bats was, “Here we go, 2-0.” Rydalch wore No. 20 in high school and college.
People’s minds have already been flooded with ideas of how to memorialize Rydalch in their own ways. Lauren Spendlove coaches Tooele’s softball team now, but was an assistant when Rydalch played there. She plans to talk to her team regularly about the type of leader, competitor, teammate and human Rydalch was.
“In the future, she’s going to be part of our family forever,” Spendlove said, adding that she hopes to create a scholarship in Rydalch’s name. “I would love to do some kind of memorial for her that will last forever.”
(Kate Hogan) Senior members of the Tooele High School softball team pose for a photo after a win over Ogden on April 13, 2021.
Several of Rydalch’s former teammates said they want to wear a ribbon specially dedicated to her in their hair during their respective upcoming softball seasons. Kate Hogan, a former teammate who now plays at Idaho State, said she’s been thinking of contacting her former Tooele teammates to start a summer camp in Rydalch’s name and have proceeds go toward a scholarship. She also said she plans to talk to her former high school coaches to see if something can be put up at the softball field.
“We definitely don’t want her to be forgotten,” said Hogan, who cherishes the elementary school days when she and Rydalch spent recess jumping rope.
Rydalch’s former teammates remember her as someone with a “bubbly” personality who was passionate about her family and her horses. They appreciated how she attended each of their parties when they signed their National Letters of Intent to play softball. Her compassionate nature also rubbed off on some of them.
“She taught me how to be a caring teammate,” Hogan said. “Not only to compete and hold each other accountable, [but] to understand where people are at and just to show compassion and show love towards others.”
What makes Hogan most sad about Rydalch’s death is that she and her other close friends will no longer have one of their favorite sounding boards with which to talk about the goings-on in each other’s lives.
“It’s hard to think that she’s not going to be there for us anymore, and that we don’t get to tell her about all the stuff that I’m doing, and I don’t get to hear about how awesome she’s doing at school anymore,” said Hogan, who has known Rydalch since kindergarten. “So It’s just kind of going through my head, like, who I’m going to talk to about that.”
(Ayden Fitch) Tooele High School senior Ayden Fitch, center, poses for a photo with Paige Rydalch, left, and Emma Higley.
Marissa Lowry, the former coach of Tooele High who had known Rydalch since before high school, said she felt grateful that softball brought them together.
“I didn’t get into coaching for the accolades or awards or state championships,” Lowry said. “I got into coaching to build relationships with these girls and to hopefully impact their life as they graduate and go on and move on to college.
“At the end of the day, I feel like Paige was the one that impacted my life, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Fitch said that despite everyone close to Rydalch feeling “devastated” by what happened, they “know Paige is now watching out for us and she gets to be with us all the time as we get to play.” For many of them, especially her former teammates, the upcoming softball season will be dedicated to her memory.
“The season’s for Paige no matter what anyone has to say,” Anderson said. “Paige loved softball and it was one of her most favorite things, and I will honor Paige by just giving it my all this season. You never know when it’s going to be your last. We just don’t say that enough. I just wish I could play one more game with Paige, so I’m gonna put it all out there for Paige.”
