Blasting cracks can be heard from multi-colored aluminum bats as the Girls Varsity Softball Team drives speeding balls into the ebony nets hung upon the batting cages. Contrary to the focused atmosphere, cheers ring out from the players on standby, observing while their teammates steadily improve. The team practices every day, honing their batting and fielding skills on Central Kitsap High School’s fastpitch field for hours.
“We always tell each other that just being at practice doesn’t get you better,” senior 1st and 3rd baseman Scarlett Mabe said. “It’s doing work outside of practice and working on the things you need to work on outside of practice that really encourages [improvement].”
Mabe believes holding each team member accountable for self-improvement can form a close-woven relationship overall with the team. Whether it’s batting or fielding repetitions, each moment spent practicing is well-spent. She and the rest of the team enjoy the light-hearted and energetic atmosphere and make it a point to uplift their teammates with cheers of encouragement.
“I feel like we also have a really tight bond, because we’ve also been playing with each other for a long time,” Mabe said.
Memorable events, such as an annual team dinner and long bus rides create a foundational experience for the players and the potential to build long-lasting friendships between teammates. The team also gives players the opportunity to try out different positions in the field and the batting lineup. Players will often be switched around to find who performs better at said position, and to reduce injury rates, especially with pitching and catching.
“I do remember in my sophomore year, they put me in to pitch during a really intense game, and I ended up pitching pretty well,” senior pitcher Savanna Paulson said. “We ended up winning that game and going to state. So, that was a big win for me.”
Returning players also have obligations to welcome and guide new teammates, as well as emphasize the importance of vocalizing calls and plays to fellow in-field or out-field players. Players with seniority are held responsible for adapting to positions new to them as well as possessing a positive mental fortitude that encourages others to be optimistic.
“In the outfield, I have to have a lot of responsibility and also communicate really well with my other teammates,” senior outfielder Adelynne Hasty said. “It’s hard to hear outside, especially when the other teams are being really loud, so communication is really important when I’m out there.”
Hasty understands that it can be exceedingly difficult to adapt to an unfamiliar environment with new people, especially for underclassmen. She hopes team members can feel comfortable in sharing with her or asking her questions without feelings of anxiety or fear.
“I try my best to make sure that everyone knows who I am,” Hasty said. “If they need anyone to come and talk to, they can come and talk to me, especially since I’m a senior now.”
These softball veterans provide stability, applying their experiences to help the other teammates improve. They also note that maintaining a positive attitude increases effectiveness, rather than negativity. According to Paulson, even individual bad moods can infect others and interfere with the team’s ability to win a game.
“[My responsibility is] to be a leader, and when something bad happens, shake it off,” Paulson said. “You got to stay tough for your team. Otherwise, if one person [gets] down, the whole team gets down.”
Mabe, especially, emphasizes with individuals who may have felt previously excluded through personal experiences of her own. To Mabe and Paulson, an uplifting voice is important within fastpitch. They believe optimism and rallying the team together are major factors that unite Central Kitsap High School’s softball team, and it dispels fear before and during matches.
“I have felt very excluded from a lot of things in the past,” Mabe said. “My goal is to make people feel like they belong and make them feel included. I feel like it really does work, so that way they’re not nervous about anything.”
To combat exclusion, the team cheers loudly for every player up to bat or pitching, as well as singing on the bus while traveling to an away game. In addition to this, the team also occasionally holds unserious practices. As mentioned by Hasty, an example of such includes a practice without the definitive softball gear, and instead, equipment sourced from different sports.
“I just enjoy being with a lot of my close friends and getting to play a sport that I love,” Hasty said. “We are very competitive…and that’s something that I appreciate from my teammates and coaches. We don’t just play for fun, we come to compete, but we also have fun while playing.”
