Growing does not just mean getting older and taller; it also means getting wiser and stronger. This year, the Patriots softball team had three Yutan seniors who have gone through all four years of their high school career playing softball. These seniors started their freshman year by making it to state and winning the state tournament, and this year, they worked hard to make it back to the state tournament, where their journey first began.
“Being back on the state fields is rejuvenating I think, just being there with the team that we had and seeing how it’s changed through my last four years. Being top dogs my freshman year and then completely rebuilding the team after losing all of our starters, then being able to work our way back there was just really meaningful to me,” senior Jordyn Campbell said.
Four years ago, during Campbell’s freshman year, she started on varsity as a third baseman and got to play alongside her sister, Shaylynn Campbell, who was the varsity pitcher as a senior.
“Something I noticed from my freshman year playing with my sister and just the team in general was that we had really good chemistry on the team, and we all got along really well, and then we had some growing to do in between,” Campbell said.
Although these seniors weren’t all starters their freshman year, they all had a role to fulfill during their season games and at state. Adie Gale was a pinch runner for varsity games and the state tournament.
“My initial impression when I walked into state was, ‘Oh my God, there are so many people here. This is terrifying.’ Then, as I started to play and get more comfortable, I realized it really wasn’t that serious and that everybody was there to support you and to see you do your absolute best,” senior Adie Gale said.
Even for those who didn’t see playing time, state was still an experience that left a lasting impression.
“State my freshman year, I thought it was so cool to be there as a freshman. I mean, I wasn’t playing the season, and I wasn’t in the game, but being there was really cool and just seeing how the upperclassmen played,” senior Addi Smith said.
After their freshman year, their roles on the team changed. Smith and Gale became starting outfielders. While Campbell was still playing third, she was promoted to playing catcher as her starting position. As they worked through their sophomore and junior seasons, they learned new lessons.
“My freshman year, I played varsity a little bit, and I was the only underclassman outfielder, and everybody else was seniors. So my sophomore year, I was the only one that really stepped up as an outfielder, and I became the varsity center fielder, and I had to take on a new role of leadership and kind of help coach other girls on how to play outfield too, so they didn’t have much experience,” Gale said.
Besides stepping into leadership roles, the players learned that the team bond makes a huge impact.
“I’ve learned that team chemistry and culture make a huge difference in a team. Obviously, skill level goes a long way when it comes to making a good team, but if you don’t get along, then it doesn’t really matter how good you are skill-wise,” Gale said.
Despite having a positive team, there were still some rough edges and corners that the team would have to work through. One of those included Campbell tearing her labrum and missing her junior year, which made her senior season sweeter.
“My junior year, I was out for an injury, and then senior year, I feel like during my junior year, they rebuilt the team, and I feel like we came back stronger than ever,” Campbell said.
Then their senior year, Smith was also out due to injury. Injury can be destructive to a player’s mindset, or they can find a new role to fulfill. Smith made sure she had a role, becoming the team’s photographer.
“This season my goal was to take really cool pictures because I know how much people enjoy the photos I’ve taken this year,” Smith said.
As they entered their final season, they strove to be the senior leaders they had once benefited from in their previous years.
“Going into my senior year, I feel like I really stepped into that leadership role, and I became a leader for the underclassmen and became someone that they could rely on and not be afraid to ask a question,” Gale said.
Along with fielding questions, these seniors found that communication was key.
“What I’ve learned is if you don’t talk or communicate with your teammates and you guys don’t mesh well, your season’s just not gonna be good. I think since we did Bible studies and we’ve done stuff to bond with each other, our communication and how we play on the field really reflects our team,” Smith said.
The tight bonds and strong playing earned the team a spot back at state to fulfil their goals.
“My goals were just to win a game. I think, honestly, going into the state tournament, it was just to get there. Then we achieved that goal, so I think just to do as best as we can together and have fun doing it,” Campbell said.
Since this was their last year playing high school softball, these seniors wanted to take advantage of their last opportunities, which meant going all out.
“I didn’t want to hold back at all, so in the outfield, I feel like I did a great job during state. I made sure that I looked for every single ball, no matter where it was. I wanted to make sure that I got there,” Gale said.
While the team didn’t end up advancing as far as they hoped, winning their first game but losing the next two, they still made many memories that ended their high school careers on a high note.
“I think my favorite memory was just being able to be a family and the fun late-night talks that we had with the girls and being able to connect and read our Bibles together and living together for a couple of days,” Campbell said.
