A Bulldog Since Birth: Rath Follows In Father's Path
April 06, 2024 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Ava Rath was born to be a Bulldog.
Rath grew up dreaming of one day attending Mississippi State where her father, Gary, was a first team All-American pitcher for the Diamond Dawgs from 1992-94 and eventually made it to the Major Leagues.
Rath's childhood wishes finally came true this year, but with an added bonus. Like her father, she is also donning the Maroon and White as a student-athlete and does so as a freshman on the women's tennis team.
"Growing up, my dad played baseball here so my whole family are huge Mississippi State fans and we would go to Mississippi State games every year and I just love Starkville," Rath said. "Then when I got to my sophomore year of high school, I decided I really wanted to play tennis for Mississippi State. I just love the college and I would love to play where my dad played so I started grinding, started working really hard to get to the SEC level that in my opinion is the hardest Power Five conference to work into. I just did everything I could to work up to getting to that level of a tennis player."
Rath has competed in 19 matches during her first year at MSU while also making her family very proud. The Raths make the short drive along Highway 82 from their home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to watch their daughter live out her goal of competing in college tennis for the Bulldogs.
"We're over the moon," Gary Rath said. "Just all the work that she put in. She had shoulder surgery when she was in 10th grade and we weren't sure she'd ever play again. So, to see her out there on the courts now just gives you chills and a sense of pride. It also ages you because it seems like I was just out here playing the other day myself. But I'm 51 and have a daughter out there so it's kind of come full circle but we think it's the greatest thing ever."
Rath's college career couldn't have started off any better. She won her first three times out on the court, a pair of singles wins as well as a doubles victory with Dharani Niroshan when State competed in the Debbie Southern Fall Classic in Greenville, South Carolina back in September.
With so many years dreaming of the day of making her debut with the Bulldogs, it's understandable why Rath was a bundle of nerves before her first match. But she was able to calm herself enough to prevail in three sets over Georgia's Tatum Buffington 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
"Going into my first match, I just kept telling myself 'Ava, God's got you and these are the same lines you've been playing on since you were 5, there's no difference.'," Rath said. "So going into that match, I was nervous, but also at peace with everything. Then in typical Ava fashion, I won the first set, lost the second, then won the third."
Early success shouldn't shock anyone that has followed Rath's career. She holds the distinction of being the youngest player in the history of the Alabama High School Athletic Association to win a state tennis title. She became a state champion as a 12-year-old seventh grader, winning the Class 6A No. 2 singles crown while her team, Northridge, claimed the overall state championship.
Before her family settled in Alabama, the Raths were globetrotters. Ava was born in Sendai, Japan where her father was still pitching following his Major League career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins.
When a tsunami hit days after she was born, the Raths moved back to the U.S. briefly before Gary signed on to play in Taiwan. Once his playing career ended, they moved back to Gulfport, Mississippi and when Ava reached the fifth grade, the family relocated again to Tuscaloosa and has been there ever since.
But spending her formidable teenage years in the shadows of Bryant-Denny Stadium did little to phase her Bulldog fandom.
"When we got to Tuscaloosa, our parents kind of had to sit us down and they were like 'Look your dad's opening a business, we can't wear our maroon yet'," Rath said. "I didn't get that until one day I wore a Mississippi State t-shirt and we went to eat at a restaurant for breakfast and we said 'good morning' and the lady said 'Roll Tide'. That's when I knew this might be a really hard adjustment for me. But I stayed true and through middle school I got made fun of for my cowbell, but it was worth it."
Rath has wanted to be at MSU for as long as she can remember. But the past few months as a student-athlete in Starkville has engrained in her very fabric what it actually means to be a Bulldog on and off the court.
"Everything about Mississippi State has exceeded my expectations," Rath said. "But it has also opened my eyes that there's so much more to college athletics than just playing your sport and being on a team. Â It really is just a big family with all the athletes and all the sports.
"Having the opportunity to play and having success in my freshman year didn't just give me confidence in me as a player, but also confidence in me being a leader on the team. My role on the team is so much bigger than me playing tennis. There's a bigger purpose for me being here instead of winning matches and that just fueled that fire a lot more."
