Clayton Kershaw’s wife Ellen Kershaw (formerly Ellen Melson) is a graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in communications.
But, Communications doesn’t seem to be her top priority in the world.
At one point in her life, she was taking annual summer trips to Zambia. The trips are as part of her association with “Camp Life.” Camp Life is a religious aid mission, which Ellen happily volunteers. In an interview with MLB, Ellen explains why she’s been to Zambia 5 times, with no plans on slowing down any time soon:
“The first time I hugged a Zambian orphan, it changed my life… This is something I can do while Clayton is pursuing his passion of baseball. On this trip, our passions will collide. This is his way of showing that he supports me. Every season, I come back and show him pictures of all these girls and he’s curious why I keep going back. My hope is that we can combine our two passions and utilize these opportunities to make a difference.”
Clayton and Ellen Kershaw have two kids, two year old daughter Cali, and a son Charley born November 2016. Having kids changed the Kershaws, as it does with so many. The LA Times posted a long article about the Kershaw family. In it, Ellen describes how the kids have evened out the emotional highs and lows that baseball can bring.
During last season’s National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, Ellen was at home because she was nine months pregnant. She watched on television as her husband dramatically emerged from the bullpen on one day of rest in Game 5, saving the Dodgers’ season.
“I was like, ‘You can’t do that to me anymore!'” Ellen said she told Clayton afterward. “‘It is just too nerve-racking.'”
Kids, charity, and baseball?
Clayton Kershaw’s wife sure seems to enjoy watching him pitch. She talked about the anxiety of following his starts in that article. One can imagine that the game is even more intense when Clayton throws a no-no. Which honestly, there’s like a 60% chance of it happening every time that dude toes the rubber. Ellen was prominently featured on the Dodgers broadcast and SportsCenter after Clayton threw a no hitter and near perfect game in 2014. To describe her as excited would be a major understatement.
Clayton and Ellen married in December, 2010 in Houston, TX. Clayton rocked a pair of Dodger blue sneakers at the reception. They have been together since high school, and have no children together. Clayton is quick to call Ellen his high school sweetheart. The Kershaw’s attended high school with Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford. The high school clearly has it’s athletic department in order. But that’s not all for Highland Park High School. In addition to Stafford and Kershaw, the school also churned out MLBers Jordan Walden, Chris Young and Shawn Tolleson.
