LOS ANGELES — Every time Grace Luderer steps into the circle, she carries the advice of her grandpa.

“I just remember him telling me it takes integrity and respect for the game. You have to have respect for the game in order to be a good athlete,” said the senior pitcher for the Louisville Royals. 

Luderer’s reverence for the sport comes with being raised as the grandchild of the one and only Vin Scully.

“He was good friends with Jackie Robinson, and I wear the No. 42 now because of him,” she said.

Luderer has grown up absorbing everything about baseball. With an uncanny knack for the sport, she would soon call it her own.

“I always had the idea I wanted to play. My dad said I would walk around stores doing a pitching motion even when I was like 3 years old,” Luderer said.

Of all of Scully’s grandchildren, Luderer is the only granddaughter to have inherited his signature red locks. She also is the only one to take her athletic talents to a level she only dreamed of achieving.

Luderer had a vision since she was 4 years old to play Division 1 softball. This year, that dream became a reality when she signed on the dotted line to pitch for Seattle University.

“I was proud of myself because I’ve worked so hard since I was little, and I’ve never thought I would get to this point,” she said. 

However, before Luderer looks too far into the future, she is locked in on the present. She may not be calling games like her grandfather, but she has a voice on her team as a senior.

“Now that I’m a senior, I’m even more hungry to win,” she said.

Luderer leads Louisville into round one of the playoffs with nothing but respect for the game.

Louisville’s first contest is against Bonita at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.