Liberty’s Avery and Joon Huh find safety on softball field after family member’s death

Published 5:30 am Saturday, April 25, 2026

Ever since Avery Huh was playing tee ball, her dad has been near the dugout. The now senior in high school will go down as one of the best players at Liberty High School with a unique support system in place the last two seasons.

Since the 2025 season her dad, Joon, has taken the reins of the Liberty program.

Three weeks ago, the Huh family was shaken to its core.

On Easter Sunday, April 5, the Huhs were met with grim news. Joon’s son, Jaden, had died from an overdose at 21 years old.

He is survived by his mom, Jamie; dad, Joon; and sister, Avery.

The Huhs found solace on the softball field. Jaden was not an athlete like his sister, but for Joon and Avery, the softball field has a deep meaning to the two of them.

“It was difficult. We took one day off and came back the next day. I know people go ‘Oh my God! Why so quickly?’ I think we both recognize this is our safe place, it has been all our lives,” Joon said.

“Sometimes you need a routine to get out of that. It really has been beneficial. I don’t know where we would be without softball because it has kept us moving forward,” Joon said. “It’s a safe place to be able to kind of live our lives and do what we enjoy.”

For some, it might take time to come back from a trauma like this. But for the Huhs, the softball field represents more than just a place to play games and practice. Rather, it’s a place where they don’t have to think, and they can just be.

“I don’t have to think about anything. It’s the same game, I just know it,” Avery said. “They (teammates) are picking me up and have my back. They are doing everything they can to support me.”

Former teammates even reached out to Avery, which she appreciated.

“Even Kaila (Siu) and Emi (Connell) reached out multiple times. They are checking in on me too,” Avery said.

Avery and Joon helped Liberty to a state championship last season and grew even closer. Regardless of whether Joon was Avery’s coach, he would see her growth as a person. But for Avery, she’s seeing her dad in a new light as he becomes more than just dad.

“I think he has become a better coach in the sense of helping develop players more,” Avery said. “To see his growth coaching other girls is really cool to see.”

Joon has seen his personality change as well too. Switching between dad and coach is a delicate dance many dads have done and will do until the end of time. At times, both hats combine, but Avery is the one who puts her dad in his place.

As the head coach, Joon calls the pitches. A three number code that signifies what pitch to throw and where to throw it. At times, the two Huhs work together seamlessly, like clockwork. Other times, Avery takes control, telling her dad what pitches she wants to throw, even shaking her dad off from time to time.

“Once we get to the field I try to be the coach. There are times where I am in the dugout and she’s in the circle in the middle of the game. She shakes me off differently than her travel coach,” Joon Huh said. “But we have come to a point where we have a mutual respect.”

For Avery, there is a definite switch from dad to coach.

“As soon as we hit the field, he’s coach immediately. Only at home is he dad, I don’t call him dad here ever. He is always Joon or Coach Joon, and he doesn’t get mad,” Avery said.

Last season, Liberty had a senior core that carried the leadership load. Emi Connell and Kiala Siu were a pair of players that helped usher in this current crop of Patriots and laid foundations for this year’s team. Avery has taken their example and has run with it.

“She’s always been for the most part one of the primary pitchers, but she has done a real good job even at practice. She’s a little tougher than I thought she was,” Joon said.

When Huh hands his daughter the ball, he’s essentially handing over the keys to the family car. Before he was a coach, he was the pacing parent.

Huh would walk seemingly miles around the field while she was pitching, trying to distract himself. But now because he has more responsibilities, he has a lot more to think about than watching Avery throw every pitch.

“There were a few years where I didn’t coach, I was nervous as heck. I was the guy that would walk around and sit down and say a few choice words,” Huh said. “Having a team makes it a little easier because I need to focus on the other girls. There are a little nerves, especially when the games are tight. I try to focus on the coaching during the games.”

Huh has continued to dominate teams this season in the circle — she threw a 5 inning complete game shutout against Interlake on April 22. And just as he has all season, her dad was there every pitch along the way.