After years apart, Maddie Okano, right, and Jolee Benson have returned to Arizona – and to each other – playing side by side once again for ASU softball. (Photo courtesy of Maddie Okano)
TEMPE – Maddie Okano and Jolee Benson first met when they were 9 and 10 years old, respectively, while playing Gilbert Little League softball.
They would later share the same field at Gilbert High School, then went their separate ways for college. Now, time and fate have reunited them.
Okano, an infielder, and Benson, an outfielder, are sophomore teammates on Arizona State’s softball team.
The two remained close through the years, even though they weren’t always on the same team. After their time as teammates in Little League and high school, their friendship has picked right up where it left off. It has always felt natural.
After those Little League years, when Okano stepped onto the field at Gilbert High during her freshman year, Benson, who was a sophomore at the time, was ready to welcome her old friend.
“We didn’t have to try to be friends at all,” Benson said.
They played together for three years at Gilbert High. Benson committed to BYU and headed off to Provo, Utah, in 2022, which was Okano’s senior year with the Tigers. They never expected to share the diamond again.
Communication was difficult. They were not only separated on the field but also were busy focusing on their softball careers.
Benson got off to a great start in her first six games with the Cougars, compiling a .300 batting average over that stretch before suffering an injury. She returned to Arizona while recovering and attended one of Okano’s games at Gilbert.
As BYU’s season ended, Benson decided she was destined for a new start somewhere else. However, she didn’t know if softball would be in those plans. Between injuries and losing a love for the game, she had grown to have doubts about her future in the sport.
“She didn’t feel connected or understood at BYU,” said Emily Tooher, who had coached Benson at Gilbert.
When Benson returned to Arizona, she contacted Tooher, who was then coaching at Gilbert-Chandler Community College, where Tooher also played. When Tooher offered her the chance to play again, Benson was ready to return to the game she loves.
Morgan Zebe coached Benson and Okano at Gilbert High School, and Zebe and Tooher were teammates at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. When Zebe got the news that Benson would be attending CGCC, she knew that Benson would find success.
“It’s a great environment with a smaller setting, but you are still able to push yourself,” Zebe said.
Benson excelled at the junior college level, hitting .490 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 47 games. There are stories of athletes advancing from junior college to higher levels, but this was working the other way around for Benson.
“It got frustrating because I was so used to everyone being very serious,” she said. “It was much more laid back. It taught me patience. At the end of the day, that’s all you need to grow yourself.”
Lessons were learned, and Benson experienced hardships during the transition. However, most importantly, her desire to compete returned.
“It was a really good time,” she said. “I met a lot of great people, and it rekindled my love for softball.”
As Benson’s impressive season unfolded in Arizona, Okano started her collegiate career at UT-Tyler, a Division II school located about 90 minutes east of Dallas. Okano hit .236 in 55 plate appearances, and her team won the Division II national championship.
UT-Tyler is a place where Okano thought she would spend her entire career. However, it became a one-year stint when she realized she wanted to play closer to her friends and family.
So she entered the NCAA transfer portal.
When she got an unexpected call from Arizona State, her search for a new school was immediately over.
“It was a dream come true,” Okano said. “The second they contacted me, I knew I had to come here. I didn’t even talk to another school.”
Zebe wasn’t surprised Okano made her way back to the Valley. She had seen Okano decked out in Sun Devil gear during her years at Gilbert High.
“I wasn’t shocked at all. She is a Sun Devil fan through and through,” Zebe said.
Okano committed to Arizona State in June 2024, but there was another surprise on the horizon: She learned that a reunion with her high school friend could be in the works.
“I committed here, and she (Jolee) told me she was visiting ASU,” Okano said. “I said,‘Jo, not to be selfish, but I want you to come play with me.’”
Benson committed a few weeks later, and the two Gilbert Tigers teammates became Arizona State Sun Devils.
They dreamed of putting Arizona State uniforms on as kids, and they are fulfilling that with the Sun Devils this season.
The team is currently 10-5 and will play in the ASU Invitational this weekend. More important to Okano and Benson than who they play against is who will be watching.
Zebe and Tooher will be in attendance, watching their former Tigers together again.