 Staff Reporter _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Softball is a sport that many students seem to overlook. They might hear about a softball game coming up and think to themselves that there is nothing interesting to the game: it is merely baseball for girls. What most students do not realize, however, is that Atholton’s softball team presents a unique and exciting situation because it is full of great talent and has done exceptionally well in the past few years. Much of this success can be directly credited to the star pitcher of the team: Haylie Goheen, a junior at Atholton. Goheen has been a member of the varsity team since her freshman year and has been playing softball since third grade. She has pitched all three years on the team and has helped lead the team to success. Two years ago, she helped bring the team to state finals at College Park and last season helped the team finish with only four losses. So far for this season, the Lady Raiders are 11-6, with Goheen starting on the mound every game. “I love the pressure that you have to overcome as a pitcher and the feeling that you get when you get batters out,” Goheen said. “It’s a really fun way to stay active.” Despite the pressure, Goheen continues to step up and compete game after game. Last year the team had a great season and they hope to continue that success this season. “We had a really good season last year and I think the group that we have this year [is] an even better mix. As of right now, I think we are looking pretty strong,” Goheen said. In order to maintain her skills for the spring season, Goheen trains and continues to play softball during the summer, fall, and winter through various leagues and teams. “During the fall, Atholton has a league that I play in and I am also part of a club team which has fall tournaments and practices throughout the winter. The club team also carries over to the summer season after the high school season is over. In the offseason, I also work on my conditioning through special training and go to AXIS at least once a week,” said Goheen. Since her freshman year, Goheen has become a natural leader on the team and always works hard to help the team improve. Many of the members of the team look up to Goheen because of the importance of her position and her attitude in the game. “She is a very strong leader. Once she walks across that white foul line and is on that field, it’s all business, there’s no playing. She understands the game and knows the game from all she has learned growing up playing the sport. She knows that her role as pitcher on the field is leader on that field. The girls respect her and they listen to her,” said Coach Shacreaw. Goheen’s teammates also look up to her because of her experience with playing softball and the balance of fun and seriousness she brings to the field. “Haylie is 100% focused 100% of the time. She knows exactly what to say and exactly when to say it. Whenever I need to know about a situation in a game, such as where to throw and where to look, Haylie always knows. She’s the girl you’ll hear screaming how many outs there are and where the runners are, so the whole team is thinking about where to go when the ball is hit to them,” said varsity teammate Junior Stephanie McGowan. “Haylie puts a positive influence into the team. She’s always up for a good time but is ready to work. That’s what a perfect player is, someone who can work hard but have fun while doing it, too.” In the past few seasons, the team has found much more success than they had in previous years. While Goheen is an integral part of the team, the other players have also made and continue to make major contributions to the game. “Our team has so much depth; not one person on our team is significantly worse or better than the other. We all constantly feed off each other, from our freshman to our seniors. We know that we can pick each other up. Confidence is also key on our team; it’s so important to know and trust that the player next to you is going to make the same great play you can make. Our team just works. I think we’re truly the best team in Howard County. With that, we should be very successful,” said McGowan. The success of the team is also a result of the fact that many of the girls have been playing together since elementary school. They have grown up supporting and helping each other improve their skills and have learned how to best use each other’s skills for the benefit of the team. “I’ve been playing softball with Haylie for about 6 or 7 years,” teammate Junior Melanie Slayton said. “It’s really fun because we’re really good friends and we always have each other’s back. Since I play second base, we’re really close to each other on the field so we’re constantly giving each other tips and talking about what play we should make.” For the rest of the season and in future seasons, Goheen hopes that she can help to bring as much success to the team as possible. “I really want to make sure that we stay together as a team so we can work well, because if we’re not all together, then our game won’t all be together,” Goheen said. |