LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Softball is a world-renowned sport that requires countless hours of practice and development of skills. It is played by two teams of nine players. Similar to baseball, the objective is to score more runs than the opposing team by traveling across the home plate as many times as possible and rounding the bases. Players are skilled in running, catching, throwing, hitting for power and contact, and much more. These are all attributes that the players work on in our very own girls’ Frosh/Soph softball team at Los Alamitos High School.

Practice

Typically, Monday through Thursday softball practices for the team start at 2:45 p.m. and include stretching and running drills. Outfielders and infielders perform their daily drills for 20-30 minutes, then they have combined infield and outfield practice, typically ending around 4:30 p.m..

On game days, the team meets an hour before game time to warm up and prepare. The softball team prepares drills for games that involve yelling and chanting to motivate the team, such as calling the player’s name or yelling “atta babe.”

Not only does the girls’ softball team build on the aforementioned skills, but they also practice communication. Players have to navigate the field as a working team and shout loud enough to be heard from across the field. 

“[There] is lots of yelling and calling each other off on pop flies with the infield and others in the outfield. We’re constantly told that communication is key, like [most sports], but softball is different. You HAVE to be loud and you have to be clear,” said Madeline Reid, a freshman.

Teamwork

Whether it’s during practice or during games, the girls in Los Al’s Frosh/Soph softball team push each other to play their best in the most upbeat and encouraging way possible. Two freshmen members of the team, Giada Capozzolo and Reid, commented on how they motivate their teammates. 

“We hype each other up at practice or in games as best [as] we can, [and] try to get all the others to smile or laugh,” Reid said.

The team has played a few games that have shown perseverance and a constant continuation of doing their very best, even if they don’t win. Players in these situations must learn from their mistakes and move on instead of dwelling on it the whole game. Like many other sports, softball is both a mental and physical game. As much as players need to be physically proficient, they need to be mentally adept as well.

Athletes encounter plenty of challenges that test their mental health, especially student athletes. The pressure to perform well and manage life as an athlete, student, and teenager are factors that can lead down a very dark road for a person’s mental health. However, Los Al’s softball players have exceeded in balancing their athletic and academic lives.

“I make sure that when I get home I take a quick break to decompress. Sometimes its hard because I have a lot of homework, and that’s definitely a [difficult] task, but [I] always manage to get it done,” Reid said.

Los Al’s Frosh/Soph softball players have proven that, though being a student-athlete involves challenges, community and teamwork allow for students to work together and succeed in the game.