Ask Ashley Parenteau if she has siblings, and she’ll say she has a younger brother named Taylor. Normal enough, but in reality, their relationship is unlike most brother-sister tandems.

Ashley is a junior shortstop for the University of North Florida softball team. And like many siblings, her 17-year-old brother can be found sitting nearby whenever she is playing. So what makes their situation unique?

Taylor was diagnosed with Angelman’s Syndrome when he was 8 years old. The condition is marked by slowed learning development that includes a speech disorder and hyper motor skills that require him to spend most of his time in a wheelchair. But for Ashley, there is nothing out of the ordinary about Taylor.

"Despite his disability, we are like normal brothers and sisters who fight with one another and have fun together," Parenteau said. "When Mom doesn’t let him do something, he still runs to me, and I don’t get to see him that often, so of course, I’m telling her, ‘Let him do it.’ "

When she was younger, Ashley would care for Taylor while their parents were at work. She said the experience required her to grow up early, but the bond created between the two is one that big sis treasures.

And apparently, Taylor is able to establish new bonds everywhere he goes. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, native said her teammates and coaches have all embraced him, and they love having him at games as much as she does.

"All the girls love him," said Parenteau. "It’s really nice having people around me that care about Taylor, too. That’s part of the reason I love being at North Florida so much."

Another reason she loves her life as a Lady Osprey softball player is the joy of being on a team with a group of women who have grown to be more than teammates. She said the team is more like a family, which creates a supportive atmosphere for dealing with the challenges of being a student-athlete.

"It is hard at times keeping up with all my studies and playing softball, but when it comes down to it, I really enjoy the friends I’ve made, the places I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had through softball," she said.

She is making the most of her experience by putting up impressive numbers on the field, too. During her freshman season, Parenteau hit .384 and led the team in nine offensive categories, including hits and RBIs, which earned her third-team all-America honors. She continued to impress as a sophomore, taking home second-team honors in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Parenteau takes the success in stride and thinks about how much her little brother enjoys seeing her play the sport she loves.

"Just knowing that Taylor loves to go out there and watch me play makes me want to play that much more," Ashley said. "He enjoys it so much and that makes it all worth being out there."

Taylor is so much of a fan that when he is always anxious to know when Ashley’s next game will be. Regardless of when that game is, Ashley will know Taylor is in the stands.

"I can always hear him when I’m playing. Somehow I don’t hear anyone else, but I always hear Taylor," she said.

When she thinks about life beyond her collegiate playing days, Ashley cites Taylor’s influence in that part of her life as well. She is majoring in special education and plans on earning a master’s degree in speech therapy.

"I have seen him go through therapy and I have seen the highs and lows of it all, so I picked a career choice knowing that someday I’d be able to help someone like Taylor," said Ashley. "He said ‘football’ recently and it was the coolest thing."

Being a student-athlete has also prepared Ashley for post-college life. Her work ethic and prioritizing skills have both been enhanced by her always busy daily schedule.

"I’m a great time manager now," said Ashley with a laugh. "I was always like that before, but when you play sports and have school, you have to make sure you have everything planned. I’ll probably be 15 minutes early for everything now."

Ashley credits having those around her making everything better than it already is.

She particularly credits her teammates and coaches, her parents who rearrange their work schedules so they can make it to nearly every game, and a brother who will never stop cheering for her.

"He is my No. 1 fan," Ashley said. "He’s Taylor — he’s not the boy with Angelman’s — he’s just Taylor to me."