Dear High School Softball Teammates,
I would like to start by thanking you for four of the best seasons of my life. High school was hard, but with the help of you guys you made it feel a lot more manageable and a lot more fun.
To my freshman team: I can never say that I went undefeated for a season in my entire career. So what if we were freshman? We accomplished an amazing task all by ourselves and paved the way for the years to come. Some continued to play for the rest of their high school career, and others left after freshman year, yet we will always be held together by that unbelievable season.
To my varsity sophomore team: Seniors, you were my favorite people that I could ever have to be my mentors. All of your goofiness during practices made me feel at home, and made me feel accepted as a teammate. Sophomore year was probably the worst year in school for me, but when I look at softball I remember all the pasta nights, sleepovers, and baseball games I tagged along to with you guys because you were so inviting. Whenever I watch "Bridesmaids" I think of everyone screaming across the field at Megan, and our coach standing there dumbfounded as well all fell to the ground laughing. There was never a dull moment on our team, and it was the most fun I could ever have. I want to especially thank Rachel for being my competition and pushing me to be the best pitcher I could be. Your competition is what kept me pushing to be the best pitcher in conference and you helped me to be successful come my junior and senior year. I wish you all the best this year as you all are finishing your college careers, an amazing accomplishment that you all deserve. To the ones who didn't go to college, I wish you the best in all your endeavors. Don't worry, I still stalk you all on Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram, so I don't miss out too much on your lives, and I am always happy to see you guys happy.
To my varsity junior team: No words can describe the connection and accomplishments we made during this year. I could not be more proud to bare the name "Queen Momo" as I took the mound for the entire season. The laughs, the tears, the early morning shenanigans cannot compare to any team that I had. Our team was special, our bond stronger than any other, and our fire to go out and win was unstoppable. When we beat Round Lake and found out we won the division title, that was one of the best days of my life. The smiles when Coach Benes announced the title made Round Lake's field shine. The day that beats that was when we won the conference title. Now this is a game that no one will forget. I still remember the emotion as the batter swung at a change up in the dirt to end the game, everyone screaming, crying, laughing, and hysterical as we were presented our trophy as the rainbow covered us over the field. At that moment in time, we were eternity. We were champions. No one can take that away, and no one will ever take that ugly picture of us after winning that game out of the case. Again, the seniors this year helped carry the team. You guys were amazing leaders and strong competitors for ourselves and across the conference. I can never thank Kayla enough for being such a strong catcher for me all year long. I mean how can you not love her when she calls a game against Cary Grove and we almost won? This season was full of heart and it was by far my favorite year. Though our fight came to an end, I wore that huge bruise on my thigh with pride as we finished out our year with those amazing accomplishments.
To my varsity senior team: Well what more is there to say? We were a crazy group of girls who came into high school with a dream of having an amazing time and I think we can successfully say that we did. Senior year was filled with the hope of getting recruited for some: as I committed to Milwaukee School of Engineering and Jamie committed to Concordia University for softball. The rest of our seniors went on to amazing schools to get amazing degrees and have amazing amounts of fun. And that's who we were, an amazing group of girls. We didn't win the division or conference, but we put up a hell of a fight. We changed that name of our program so that we were not the underdogs anymore, but a team that was in it for the fight. We did have a run for the regional title, losing to McHenry in such a close game I could not help but cry. Thank you to the other nine seniors that graduated beside me, because you are what has shaped me into the player I am today. Not a day goes by that I don't step on a field and hear the faint cheers of you guys cheering on #3, or see the speed limit sign for just a quick second on the back stop.
The program that I left behind has begun to rise to what it should be. Our new stadium is gorgeous, with a new head coach who is ready to make a change. The team has warm ups. matching helmets, matching cleats, arm bands, and so much more than we could of ever imagined when we played and its only been two years. The Bulldogs have no where to go up from here, and I can always say how forever proud I am to call myself a Bulldog.
