On my Graduation Day...

​​I’ve been trying to write this blog for about a week now, and here it is Friday night before graduation and I’m still struggling to put into words how I feel. In the 2.5 years I’ve spent in Shippensburg it has not only become a place that I can call home with ease, but also the place where I (finally) figured out what I’m supposed to do with my life. When I first got to Shippensburg I was struggling with who I was, and what I wanted. I choose Shippensburg University not only for the softball team, but for the education department. I wanted a school where I would learn how to be the best in my field. Little did I know, that my field was going to quickly change. I made a list of all the things I learned here through my interaction with pitchers and the softball community, but I couldn’t find the words to put it into a letter so instead here is my list.
 
1. Everything happens for a reason. I never imagined that another shoulder injury would be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. By not being able to play the game, it allowed me to share it in a whole new way.
 
2. My definition of success quickly changed. It went from my own big game wins and stats to correct snaps and innings without walks. I would give up so many of my own championships and big games to see my pitchers succeed, which is something I wasn’t sure I would ever feel.
 
3. I learned how to be a role model, and support girls who were going through things that I remember going through oh so well. There were some pitching lessons that we really only focused on pitching for a small part of them. Between trouble with teachers, bullies, boys, family, and too many other situations to list how can we really focus on just pitching? I learned how to let lessons become an outlet for my pitchers who were struggling a little bit outside of softball, while still focusing on pitching and mechanics.
 
4. What it means to put your name on something. For the first time in my life I was saying “Hey, I think I’m good at this and would love to teach your daughter.” This was a concept that was beyond scary at first, but now I love it. I love being able to support parents and pitchers with a specialty that I love.
 
5. What it truly means to give support. I never imagined in giving “one hour pitching lessons” I would end up doing the things I did. My friends laughed at me while we hung out on weekends because I was constantly stepping outside to take calls or texting with pitchers, parents, and coaches about how weekends were going. I ended up spending many weekends at random ball fields all over Pennsylvania and Maryland to watch my pitchers. I babysat for parents in a pinch, I curled hair for homecoming, and hosted study sessions with some of my older pitchers. I never truly understood how invested I would be.
 
6. I am a better daughter, sister, friend, coworker, coach and all around better person because of the girls I have come to know and love through softball. The energy and enthusiasm that I see every day in the pitchers I work with genuinely makes me want to take that same energy and enthusiasm into other aspects of my life.
 
7. I came to the realization that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I spent my entire days looking forward to coaching softball each evening. I found a career that I can take my passion for softball and combine it with my love of teaching. While helping young pitchers learn to believe in themselves I somewhere along the way started to believe in myself again.
 
I never imagined saying more goodbyes than I can count over the past six months as pitchers find someone new to continue to help them grow. I am so thankful that I could play a small part in the softball community here in Southern Pennsylvania. The lessons that I have learned in the past years here will stay with me for the rest of my career. Shippensburg is the place I found my calling, and for that I will be forever thankful. I cannot wait to watch the pitchers I have worked with continue to grow into not only the athletes I know they can be, but also the amazing young women I have come to know and love here.