Ashley Holt Kimbrel: The Story of Craig Kimbrel’s Wife

Ashley Holt Kimbrel is best known as the wife of professional baseball pitcher Craig Kimbrel. She became familiar to baseball fans through her long relationship with Craig, family appearances, and support during his MLB career. The couple met during college and built their relationship before Craig became a major baseball star. Ashley is also a mother of two and has supported causes focused on children and families. Readers often search for her marriage, children, personal life, and background. In this article, we explore Ashley Holt Kimbrel’s early life, college years, marriage, family, daughter’s health journey, charity work, and life with Craig Kimbrel.

Quick Bio

Early Life and Background

Ashley Holt Kimbrel has kept much of her early life away from public attention. Details about her childhood, parents, siblings, and exact birthplace have remained outside the spotlight. This private background is quite different from the public life she later experienced as the wife of a professional baseball player. Ashley spent an important part of her younger years in Alabama, where she attended Wallace State Community College. Her college years eventually changed her personal life because this was where she crossed paths with Craig Kimbrel. Their relationship started long before Craig became widely recognized by Major League Baseball fans across the United States.

Education and College Years

Ashley attended Wallace State Community College, where she was involved in cheerleading. College became especially important in her story because Craig Kimbrel was studying and playing baseball at the same school. Craig was developing his skills as a pitcher while Ashley was participating in college activities. Their time at Wallace State brought them together and created the beginning of a relationship that continued through the major changes in Craig’s baseball career. Information about Ashley’s field of study and graduation is not widely discussed. Her college experience is remembered mainly because it was where she met her future husband and began their journey together.

How Ashley Holt Met Craig Kimbrel

Ashley and Craig Kimbrel first met while attending Wallace State Community College. Ashley was a cheerleader, while Craig was building his reputation on the college baseball team. Their relationship therefore began before professional contracts, MLB stadiums, and national attention became regular parts of their lives. Craig later proposed to Ashley after playing a difficult game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Although the game had not gone the way he wanted, his relationship with Ashley remained a positive part of his life. Their college romance eventually developed into a lasting partnership, and they decided to build a future together as Craig’s professional baseball career continued to grow.

Ashley Holt and Craig Kimbrel’s Marriage

Ashley Holt and Craig Kimbrel married in 2012 after developing their relationship from their college days. Their marriage came during an important period in Craig’s professional career, when he was becoming one of baseball’s recognizable relief pitchers. Ashley remained beside him as his career brought new teams, cities, seasons, and public appearances. Life as the spouse of a professional athlete can involve frequent travel and major changes, but their marriage continued through these different stages. Over the years, they also became parents and created a family together. Ashley’s role in Craig’s life has therefore extended from his early baseball journey to his years as an established MLB player.

Who Is Craig Kimbrel?

Craig Kimbrel is an American professional baseball pitcher best known for working as a relief pitcher and closer. During his Major League Baseball career, he has played for teams including the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles. He has also earned multiple MLB All-Star selections during his career. His powerful pitching and success in closing games made him a recognizable figure among baseball fans. Ashley knew Craig before this level of professional fame arrived, making their relationship closely connected with his journey from college baseball to the major leagues. She and their children have also accompanied him to baseball events.

Ashley and Craig Kimbrel’s Children

Ashley and Craig are parents to two children, a daughter named Lydia Joy Kimbrel and a son named Joseph Kimbrel. Becoming parents brought a new chapter to their marriage, including a particularly challenging period following Lydia’s birth. Lydia was born in November 2017 and faced serious heart problems during her first months of life. Ashley and Craig focused heavily on their daughter as she received medical care. Their family later grew again when they welcomed Joseph. The children have occasionally appeared alongside their parents at baseball-related events, giving fans small glimpses of the family life Ashley and Craig have built away from Craig’s responsibilities on the baseball field.

Lydia Joy Kimbrel’s Health Journey

Lydia Joy faced heart defects after her birth in November 2017, creating an extremely difficult period for Ashley and Craig. Ashley spent time learning about her daughter’s condition and connected with social media support groups where families shared experiences involving similar childhood health challenges. In 2018, Craig temporarily stepped away from Boston Red Sox spring training while Lydia underwent medical treatment and heart surgery. The Red Sox community also showed support for the family, with players wearing shirts featuring the message “We Are #LydiaStrong.” Lydia responded well following surgery, and her journey became an important personal chapter for Ashley, Craig, and their entire family.

Ashley’s Life as a Baseball Wife

Ashley has supported Craig throughout the changing stages of his professional baseball career. His career has required the family to experience different teams, cities, schedules, and baseball environments. Ashley has attended games, special ceremonies, charity gatherings, and other public events with her husband and children. She has generally remained outside the main spotlight while still being present during meaningful moments in Craig’s career. This balance has allowed her to support her husband without developing a highly public celebrity identity of her own. Her appearances are usually connected with family or baseball, showing how closely her public life has been linked with Craig’s long professional journey.

The Funny Entrance Song Moment

Ashley received attention from baseball fans in August 2022 during Craig’s time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As part of a Women’s Day event, players’ wives and partners were allowed to choose entrance songs. Craig usually entered to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, but Ashley decided on something completely different. She selected “Let It Go,” performed by Idina Menzel for Disney’s Frozen. The unexpected song created a funny and memorable baseball moment. It showed a lighter side of the couple’s relationship and quickly attracted attention because the playful Disney song was very different from Craig’s normal entrance music.

Charity Work and Helping Children

Ashley and Craig have also been connected with charitable causes supporting children and families. In 2013, they became associated with Curing Kids Cancer, an organization focused on efforts against childhood cancer. Their involvement showed an interest in using Craig’s public position to support families facing serious challenges. Years later, Ashley experienced a difficult childhood health journey within her own family when Lydia required treatment for heart defects. Ashley’s search for information and connection with support groups showed how important family networks can become during serious medical situations. These experiences have added another meaningful dimension to Ashley’s story beyond her public identity as the wife of a professional athlete.

Public Appearances With Her Family

Ashley has made several public appearances alongside Craig and their children. In July 2018, she attended the MLB All-Star Game red carpet in Washington, D.C., with Craig and Lydia. The family was later seen at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 2019 and attended the MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show in Denver in 2021. In August 2022, Ashley, Craig, Lydia, and Joseph attended Clayton Kershaw’s Ping Pong 4 Purpose event at Dodger Stadium. The family appeared together again during the MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show at Pike Place Market in Seattle in July 2023, giving baseball fans another glimpse of their family life.

What Does Ashley Holt Kimbrel Do?

Ashley’s professional life has remained largely private. She was involved in cheerleading while studying at Wallace State Community College, but she has not built a widely documented public career of her own. Instead, most public interest in Ashley has centered on her family, her marriage to Craig, and appearances connected with professional baseball. She has also spent important periods focusing on her children, particularly during Lydia’s early health difficulties. Unlike many people associated with professional athletes, Ashley has not used her connection with a famous baseball player to build a major public profile, making her personal and professional life considerably more private than her husband’s career.

Ashley Holt Kimbrel’s Social Media Presence

Ashley has maintained a relatively private presence compared with many spouses of professional athletes. Social media played an important role for her during Lydia’s health journey because she used online support groups to connect with other families dealing with similar medical challenges. These communities helped her learn from parents who had faced difficult situations with their children. However, Ashley has not developed the kind of large, highly visible social media profile often associated with celebrity families. Most of what baseball fans see about her comes through public family appearances, sporting events, charity activities, and moments connected with Craig’s professional baseball career rather than regular personal updates online.

Final Thoughts

Ashley Holt Kimbrel is known mainly as Craig Kimbrel’s wife, but her story also reflects family commitment, privacy, and support during difficult moments. She met Craig when they were students at Wallace State Community College, long before his career made him a widely recognized MLB pitcher. They married in 2012 and later welcomed Lydia Joy and Joseph. One of their greatest family challenges came when Lydia faced heart problems as a baby, with Ashley playing an active role in learning about her condition and finding support. Through baseball moves, public events, charity involvement, and parenthood, Ashley has remained an important part of Craig’s personal journey.

(FAQs)

Who is Ashley Holt Kimbrel?

Ashley Holt Kimbrel is the wife of professional baseball pitcher Craig Kimbrel. She became known to baseball fans through her marriage, family appearances, and support for Craig throughout his career.

How did Ashley Holt meet Craig Kimbrel?

Ashley met Craig while they were students at Wallace State Community College. Ashley was involved in cheerleading, while Craig played baseball for the college before beginning his professional career.

When did Ashley Holt and Craig Kimbrel get married?

Ashley Holt and Craig Kimbrel married in 2012. Their relationship had started during their college years, before Craig became an established Major League Baseball pitcher.

How many children do Ashley and Craig Kimbrel have?

Ashley and Craig have two children. Their daughter is named Lydia Joy Kimbrel, and their son is named Joseph Kimbrel. The children have attended several public baseball events with their parents.

What happened to Ashley Kimbrel’s daughter Lydia?

Lydia Joy was born in November 2017 with heart defects. She received medical treatment and underwent heart surgery in 2018. The Boston Red Sox community showed support for the family during this difficult period.

What does Ashley Holt Kimbrel do for a living?

Ashley has kept her professional life private. She was involved in cheerleading during college, while most of her later public appearances have been connected with her family, charity activities, and Craig Kimbrel’s baseball career.

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