My name is Abi Mandrell. Softball has been apart of my life for almost 14 years now. Currently, I am playing for the St. Louis Pirates and just finished my senior season of high school softball at St. Dominic High School. Next year, I will continue my academic and athletic career at Missouri Baptist University. Softball isn’t just a sport to me. It’s my comfort and something that’s always there when I need something to count on. It has seen me at my best times and even my lowest of lows. Softball has changed my life in ways that I never believed it could. It hasn’t just given me my best friends but has taught me life lessons that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The teammates softball has given me aren’t just people I call teammates. They’re my family. They’ve been with me through my greatest challenges and have supported me every step of the way. Softball has revealed to me that family isn’t just who you are blood related to, but the people that will do anything for you and have your back through all challenges. Playing softball has taught me how to trust and believe in people. Softball is based around trusting in your teammates. It isn’t a sport where one person carries the team, it is a team sport where everyone contributes to their own job. Softball is like a puzzle. If one person tries to pry their piece into a spot that the piece isn’t fit for, then the whole puzzle can’t be completed and won’t work properly. Trusting in my teammates means believing that everyone and their jobs matter the same amount as mine and when put all together something strong is created that’s far beyond anything that stands alone. I have learned how to communicate and trust people in my everyday life, just through softball. Softball has also given me the gift of having coaches that I can call whenever I need anything. I haven’t always had the best coaches, but the ones now have shaped me into the person I am today. When I was at my lowest and wanted to quit softball, my coach asked me to play on her team. She sparked my love for softball when it was almost faded. She taught me how to believe in myself, the value of hardwork, and how to be the bigger person. She pushed me to be not just the best player I could be, but a better person. She became someone that I look up to and can talk any day. Without softball, I would have never met the coaches that would change my life for the better. Finally, the greatest life lesson that softball has taught me is the power of perseverance and overcoming adversity. I have faced many challenges and obstacles during softball that I could have easily backed down from. Softball has taught me that adversity can either break or strengthen you, but it doesn’t matter how many times you face it, if you learn and persevere, you can accomplish anything you believe. I could have backed down to any of these challenges, but softball taught me how strong I actually am. This sport has seen my best and worst moments and became my escape from stresses in my life. It became the first thing that I loved. Softball pushed me to be the best version of myself and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am forever grateful for the sport called softball and I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.