One conversation and a little bit of belief can change everything.

From admittedly following the wrong crowd as a child, Jadelyn Yadao-Valdez found direction through softball and matured into a leader at Mililani and again in college at UNLV.

It’s a progression that traces back to Iliahi Elementary School in Wahiawa, where a fifth-grade teacher “sat me down, saying they see potential in me from playing sports and school and I could go far,” Yadao-Valdez recalled. “Just leave all the distractions behind and I’ll be good to go.”

“So I listened to her, made adjustments in my life and now I’m glad that I did because I’m happy where I’m at now.”

Now attending classes and practices a few minutes removed from the Las Vegas Strip — a 4-mile stretch defined by distraction — Yadao-Valdez leans on the discipline developed in her youth to remain focused as a captain for the UNLV softball team and an academic All-Mountain West Conference honoree last year.

“I just kept studying and not worrying about anything else,” said Yadao-Valdez, a kinesiology major with plans on attending pharmacy school. “I’m either studying or I’m on the field practicing, doing extra. I don’t really go out and stuff.”

Following an All-State career as a dynamic shortstop and leadoff hitter at Mililani, Yadao-Valdez shuffled between the infield and outfield her first two seasons at UNLV before settling in at third base to start her junior season, a spot she didn’t play prior to college.

She returned home with the Rebels for the Bank of Hawaii Invitational last week, making her first appearance at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium since she delivered the decisive swing in Mililani’s 2-1 win over Campbell in the 2014 Division I state tournament final.

The trip home stirred memories of her start in Bobby Sox, when her father “would always push me, saying to do things differently,” and gave her mother and grandparents their first chance to watch her play college ball.

“(They) couldn’t go up to Vegas, so playing in front of them meant everything to me,” she said after Sunday’s tournament finale. “If I do anything — if I make a nice play, if I strike out — I know they’re watching me. They always got my back, always supporting me.”

Yadao-Valdez has started all 14 games this season, and a quiet weekend at the plate left her at .270 for the Rebels (9-5). She also enters this weekend’s Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah, with six stolen bases in seven attempts after tying for the team lead with 12 steals last season.

But numbers indicate only a fraction of her influence with the Rebels.

At 4-foot-9, Yadao-Valdez’s stature within the UNLV program is illustrated in this year’s team photo, with the Rebels arranged in a V and their junior captain at the apex.

“She plays with heart. She plays hard every day. Her size takes nothing away from her game,” UNLV coach Lisa Dodd said. “The way she comes out it’s like she’s 10 feet tall. Her presence just sets a standard for the team and sets the tone.

“Not only energy, but just the consistency she brings, people look to her. If we’re having a rough inning they look at how she responds and she’s, of course, stoic and strong and so everybody follows.”

As Yadao-Valdez serves in a leadership role for the Rebels, she continues to provide guidance for five siblings back home, passing on the lessons that helped shape her path.

“I’m trying get them on track, go to college,” she said. “I always push them to get better grades, always practice when you can, just do things differently than everybody else.”