Dear catcher,
We’ve been playing softball for the majority of our lives. Softball is no doubt the best part of my life, and you are a huge part of that. We get to spend a few more hours together without the rest of the team, which gives us such a close relationship on and off the field. We have a strange bond no one else on the field has, which makes every victory a bit sweeter when it’s shared with you. You’ve seen me put in the hard work to throw that strike out change up or perfectly moving rise ball. It’s amazing seeing you react the way I do over those tiny victories.
As a pitcher and catcher, we put in a few more hours of work and face a lot more stress. After a two-hour team practice, we stay an extra hour to work on spins and do countless drills. We need to do this almost every day so I stay consistent. When it comes to game time, even though you need all nine girls on the field to win the game, I feel a different level of stress, like the outcome of the game falls on my shoulder (literally). You are the only one who can calm me down and remind me why I am here in the first place.
Some days, I just can’t seem to find the strike zone. My curve ball goes all over the place and my rise ball would be too high for Lebron James to even swing at. My change up comes in the same speed as my fast ball and who knows where my drop ball ends up. But, you give me a few encouraging words and never once complain about running back to the backstop to get all my wild pitches. I can’t thank you enough for that.
When we get on the field, I put full trust into you and somehow you never fail me. You know exactly what I want to throw to what batter and know which pitch is my best pitch. You push me to test my limits in practice, and it pays off during games. My success is due to you and your tactics. You’ve forced me to throw a pitch over and over and over again until it breaks just right, and have sat through hours and hours of boring, tedious spin drills. Your patience and dedication has made me the pitcher I am.
I can only pray we never get separated. You’re my lifeline on the field and I don’t think I could do it without someone like you. Here’s to more exciting seasons, more boring drills and a thousand more memories.
Love always,
Your pitcher
