For as long as I can remember, I have played softball. Growing up, I played everything from t-ball, to coach pitch, to travel ball, and then high school ball. Softball has been a huge part of my life and has brought me so many amazing friends and has taught me so many invaluable life lessons.

However, one specific memory of my softball career sticks out the most to me: when my high school team made it to the New York State Finals in 2024. Growing up in Merrick, NY and attending a high school with a graduating class of about 300 students, this feat had never occurred. When the softball season started in mid-March, there was no doubt that our team was the underdog. Our roster was filled with underclassman, with just 3 seniors leading the team.

When the season started, we got off to a slow start. We lost the first few games and it was pretty obvious that most of the other teams in our conference had counted us out. Every other team, besides ourselves, had ruled us out of winning even a few games.

Being in such a high conference and competing with some of the best teams on Long Island meant that we automatically made playoffs, and that is when we really flipped the switch.

Slowly, we began winning playoff game after playoff game and were in the County Championship. After playing hard in a 3-game series versus one of our biggest opponents, we were able to pull off the series win and it was one of the best moments of my softball career.

However, we didn't stop there. We continued on to mercy our opponent in the Long Island Championship and made it all the way to the State Finals.

Looking back now, this was one of the best experiences and best teams I had ever been a part of. For as long as I can remember, I had been on the softball field, but this season definitely topped any other season.