Softball practice has begun!! The first games will begin at the end of January and beginning of February. The team currently consists of ten members. 

    The softball coach, Nathanial Vaughn, is known as a caring, sweet, understanding, and supportive person. He is the kind of person you can go to for anything. He might criticize you, but at the end of the day, he will help with what you need. He helps beginners turn into amazing players. 

   The advisor, Ms. Sands, helps softball members properly take care of the uniforms and goes to watch the games.  

     Here at MHS you may Ms. Sheila Gonzalez as an English teacher, but among the team she is known as Ms. G. She is a kind person and role model for many softball members. She went from playing softball in high school to playing softball in college. She helps the MHS softball team get better. She helps turn their weaknesses into strengths. Ms. G might be strict, but she just wants to make sure they are getting better, which is an immense help.  

A fresh start 

     If you are interested in new opportunities for experiences and knowledge, you should try out for the team.  As you learn something new, you can develop a deeper thinking skill and sharpen your mind even more. 

Rachel Palermo, pitcher, said, “You do not need experience to play softball. You just need to have commitment and have a positive mindset.” She thinks playing a sport is not just fun and games you cannot slow down whenever you want. Playing a sport is about putting effort and sweat into it to reach your goals. To play well, have fun, and get fit, you need to put in the work. 

Katherine says if you’re thinking of joining then you should do it. “You get to meet new people and make new friends and have tons of fun playing this sport. We all treat each other like a family,” she said. 

Rosemary Hernandez, captain, and right fielder explained what convinced her to join softball was that she always wanted to do a sport in high school, and she saw she did not need any experience to join. “Even when people doubted me, I still tried out and now I am the captain of the softball team,” she said. 

Anamichel Gonzalez, short-stop, said she wanted to be part of a sisterhood. “I had always seen videos of teammates being close, and I have always wanted that,” she said. 

One of a kind 

Even though softball may seem like any other sport there is truly more to it than meets the eye. 

Katherine Sanchez, center fielder, thinks softball is a complex sport. She said, “In the field you must think of different scenarios that may happen. You need to think about your next step and just take a leap of faith.”  

Arihana Wallace, right fielders said, “Softball to me is different from other sports because you must constantly be fast considering the field is small.” 

A chance  

Making decisions could be troublesome especially if you are not sure of what to pick from, but it never hurts to get a little more knowledge before making your final decision.  

Anamichel said, one reason to join the team is to learn better social skills. Better social skills can lead to gaining confidence in yourself and making the right moves and decisions in your game, and in life. “We are an open community and always encouraging others to improve in their lives and on the field,” she said. 

Strength  

Part of growing up is making mistakes sometimes and learning from them in hopes of becoming a better version you were once before. 

Katherine said, “Regardless of if we lose a game or win, we’re always hyping each other up and that’s what makes our team amazing. 

Rosemary said, “We got a strong bond. Since we go as a team and play as one, no one is on their own in the team.” 

Weakness  

The team has some areas for improvement.  

Arihana Wallace, said, “One weakness the team has is throwing the ball accurately.” 

Rachel doesn’t like it when we start off with a good number of people who want to join, they end up not showing up to practice and quit without trying. 

Outstanding  

To stand out for the softball team means to try your best and be your true self. 

Rosemary said, “What makes us stand out is not our dashing looks, but our unity and mentality of never giving up. If we strike out, we do not go into the dugout slamming and throwing stuff.” 

Anamichel said “Our team is very underrated, but one thing I do believe is our dedication and never wanting to give up makes us stand out.” 

“Softball was invented on a winter day in November 1887, in Chicago, one of a half dozen name the name softball did not come about until Walter Hakanson had produced the name in 1926, but the committee did not include the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) until 1934”. 

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/About-USA-SB/History