Sophia Hastings might have started off only in little league in Seattle, but she is making herself a bigger name. This past summer, she was asked to play a tournament on The All-American girls’ softball team in Oklahoma.
“It was a core memory, and I got to meet so many girls from other states, so I guess it was fun to meet so many people and play such high-level teams,” says Hastings.
Hastings plays second base, shortstop, and catcher for Seattle Fastpitch Crush (U14). She started playing softball when she was 8 for AA in Magnolia Little League. She started playing for SFC when she was 10 and has been playing ever since. She says she enjoys playing SFC because she has so many friends on her team and many of them played on her little league teams growing up.
She credits her hitting coach, Maggie, saying she has really helped gain confidence and that Maggie sees potential in her, and that she has gotten better as a hitter with her help. She also credits her catching coach, named Ava, who is a senior at Seattle University.
But a good softball player isn’t about how many runs you get or how many times you strike out; it’s about the team, and it is about the mindset that you have.
When asked about a softball players mindset, Hastings said, “Having the mindset of making an error to be able to recover quickly and not bring it with you in the dugout and being really upset and telling people you’re upset. You just need to let it go and let it out on the field, just having that next play mindset really helps a lot.”
Just 13, with an already impressive record, she’s clearly set up for success if she chooses to continue softball in the future. She said she is going to play high school softball at Ballard High School, along with the following University of Florida and Tennessee as favorite college options. Both Florida and Tennessee are ranked schools in D1 NCAA Softball, so it will be exciting if we see her on one of those teams in the future.
Throughout this interview with Sophia, what I learned as the journalist is that softball isn’t a game; it isn’t just the wins, the trophies, the medals. It is the mindset that you have, the team, the friendship. With that, according to Edutopia, Athletes who play team sports have higher GPA’s than those who don’t. When athletes have a positive team and positive coaches, they are more likely to play better and be more positive about themselves and their skills.
So, with all that said, softball is more than just a pitch. It’s a lot of fun and a lot of joy for its players.
