I started softball in elementary school, around fourth and fifth grade.  Surprisingly, it was Fiona Ryan ’25 who got me into softball because she was on a little league team. We would get pizza after games, which was a selling point for me. I thought “Okay, why not?” I started playing softball for West LA Little League for a few years and was able to progress quickly.

I had always had good hand-eye coordination, and I had already played pretty much every other sport known to man. A few of my other friends joined at the same time I did, but I was the only one who stuck with it. I have so many fond memories from that team, like the ball buckets and the lights on the field when it got dark. I had so much fun because of the energy on the team. I started out as the first baseman and held that position for a long time before my coach started putting me as our catcher. I liked being first baseman a lot better, and I was better at it than I was at being a catcher. I was definitely not the best catcher. When I was playing with an 11-year-old pitcher who would throw wildly, it wouldn’t always go so well. I ended up getting stuck as a catcher for the rest of the season, but I still enjoyed being near the action.

When I came to the school, I stopped playing so that I could adjust to my new schedule and responsibilities. I was in eighth grade when I joined the school’s team.  I remember thinking “Why not?” because I missed playing the game and my Little League days.

I recall our first practice at the Middle School. It felt so great to get back out there, and I was having a lot of fun teaching newer players who didn’t know a lot about the game. When COVID-19 hit we had to quarantine, and I couldn’t practice with the team. I came back as a freshman on the softball team, and it was something I really enjoyed. Of course, I was quite good compared to other kids my age, but I was on a team with a bunch of older kids who played club and had devoted years to the sport. I liked putting my time into something I enjoyed and I fell in love with the team, but I didn’t play a lot that year. We had two seniors on the team, who were very welcoming, and we all became very close. However, we were very unorganized and lost pretty much all of our games. We didn’t have the best discipline, the practices weren’t organized very well and our coaching was understaffed.

The next season, we fixed up our coaching and put ourselves into a different league. I think the school started to recognize our work and started to put more into the program. We started to reach out to kids to come to the school to play softball, coaches started bringing in kids from their teams, the coaching staff itself improved and the team started to improve. During those first few years, I would play outfield and first base. Sophomore year, I injured my shoulder, but I kept playing and pushed through the pain. Later in the year, the pain  really started to get bad.  I remember I had to sit out of practices and games to ice my shoulder. Junior year, I went to a bunch of doctors and they couldn’t tell what was wrong. I got X-rays and MRIs but nothing helped. Eventually, I got an ultrasound and found out I had messed up the nerves and joints in my arm,  which is why my arm was hyperextending.

That year, I finally retired from playing and was trying to figure out what my role on the team would be going forward. I loved the sport and the girls on the team so much. It had been such a huge commitment for so long that I felt like I couldn’t just leave it. I love to feel like a part of something, and I genuinely love softball. I stopped playing, but if anyone needed a base runner, I would tap in for them. I would help set up equipment and do manager duties. I still wanted to be around, so I would come to games not to play, but to support everyone.

This year, I’ve been doing consistent treatment and my arm is getting a lot better, but the injury took a massive toll on my playing abilities. However, I think it strengthened my connection to the team and my love for being there for them through everything. This year, I am the team manager, so I don’t play but I come to games, help with equipment and do the scoreboard or lights. It’s been amazing to see how the program has evolved in the past few years. During my freshman year, we could not win a game. If a team is up by 10 in the fifth inning, the game ends as an act of mercy. Back then, it was a celebration for us if we weren’t mercied and went to all seven innings. I saw how all of that changed in three years with the effort that the girls put into the team. We ended up going to a better league, and last year, we won the Mission League Championship. As of right now, we’re undefeated, and it’s been really exciting to see and to be a part of. Being a senior feels crazy, because even though I don’t play, I still feel so respected by the team. It has been amazing to be a part of this journey with the team and witness our growth.