I’m a senior at Prospect. I’ve played softball on a team since I was eight, but I fell in love with the sport as soon as I could comprehend what it was. My dad played baseball and my mom played softball as kids. They both played in a recreation league in the summer until I was five, so my cousins and I would watch the games and try to understand what was going on. We have home videos of us playing wiffle ball in the backyard from when I was a little more than three years old. Needless to say, the sport is a part of who I am.

I began preparing for this season all the way back in July. Even though I had a summer job, I would practice hitting at least three times a week, and my teammates and I would throw fielding reps for each other on our own time. I knew there was a lot of great talent coming into the program, so I began dragging my dad to feed the pitching machine nearly every day for a month so that I was confident for tryouts. I even missed an admitted student overnight event at Drake University, where I’m attending next year, because we had an open gym that day. When I learned that I secured a spot on the team, I was overjoyed.

Exactly a week after teams were decided, it was announced that all practices, games, and trips were cancelled through spring break. Our team was supposed to go to Orlando for a tournament and to visit some of the amusement parks. I’ve never been to Disney World, so I was greatly looking forward to spending time there and bonding with our new team. Now, I don’t even know if we’ll play a single game, let alone be able to have our senior night. Our coaches are doing a great job with keeping in touch, but nothing can exactly replicate time spent together on game days. I thought my last semester of high school would end on a high note, but it doesn’t look promising.