In the realm of sports, there is a certain allure to the underdog narrative, where tenacity, determination and perseverance converge to defy the odds and achieve greatness.
As the reigning 2023 Pacific Coast League (PCL) champions, the varsity softball team has built a success story not just based on titles, but on the camaraderie they have cultivated over the years.
Senior and varsity player Katelynn Armas reflected on the team’s triumph after becoming PCL champions.
“Winning league was a [great] achievement that we accomplished, and I feel like [the team] was already pretty close [before] we won [league],” Armas said. “We’re all like sisters.”
Junior, varsity player and University of Pittsburgh commit Payton Harris adds that the group’s sisterhood contributes to their success on their field.
“[Our team] has grown closer and some of us have been playing together for a couple years,” Harris said. “We just know how to play together and have certain expectations of [one] another.”
Every player on the team contributes a distinctive passion and narrative to the field. Often, these athletes’ passions towards the sport was ignited by the encouragement of their friends and family from a young age.
Senior and varsity co-captain Anna Kim’s affinity for softball is a familial tradition. Inspired by her relatives’ participation in the sport, Kim was motivated to follow suit and join the softball team.
“My sister…and cousins played softball, which inspired me to get into [the sport] myself,” Kim said.
Junior and varsity player Audrey Song was inspired to join softball by the unique dynamics and plays that the sport has to offer.
“Softball definitely wasn’t my first sport played when I was young, [but] I really liked it when I first started [playing] and stuck with it,” Song said.
Within every team, opportunities for growth arise. Harris successfully navigates challenges that arise during games or practices by maintaining clear communication to the rest of the team.
“Because we are a team, one person’s [positive] energy can help [uplift] the team, and it can impact everybody else,” Harris said. “Even though [softball] is a team sport, there are individual aspects that form.”
Song echoes a similar view, underscoring the importance of maintaining team support on and off the field.
“On the field, we put [conflict] aside and we [prioritize] being each other’s teammates. There’s a difference between being on the field and off, we support each other on the field, no matter what,” Song said.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, 474,791 American boys played high school baseball in 2023, compared to a participation of just 1,259 girls in softball nation-wide.
On top of a diminishing participation in the sport, the only women’s professional softball league, named the Women’s Pro Softball League, was disbanded in 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic. Each year, statistics show that female athletes have a smaller chance at playing professional softball.
Despite softball’s relentless work ethic, there persists an unfortunate misconception that softball is perceived as a lesser sport, largely contributing to the lack of widespread recognition compared to mainstream sports such as soccer and football.
“There are a lot of baseball players that think if they hit against a softball pitcher, it’d be easy,” Song said. “When in reality, it’s really not.”
According to Armas, this misconception stems from a belief that softball can be seen as less demanding than baseball.
“Baseball is a major league sport, but compared to softball, we can only [play] up to college,” Armas said. “I think [softball] is not taken as seriously.”
It is extremely vital to discern softball from baseball. A regulation softball is larger than a regulation baseball, and game length in softball is seven innings, whereas there are nine innings in one baseball game. Notably, while softball fields are typically smaller, pitching distances shorter and base paths compact, baseball emphasizes expansive fields and long base paths.
Beyond the technical differences between softball and baseball lies a deeper significance of the sport, often shaping athletes’ lives off the field.
For certain players, softball transcends recreation. With softball requiring qualities of determination and teamwork, the impact of the sport extends into athletes’ personal lives, careers and relationships.
“Softball is a game of success and failure,” Harris said. “Not only has the sport taught me how to deal with failure, but it has also taught me how to make adjustments and persevere.”

Kim noted that the sport has strengthened her communication skills, and therefore her confidence. When the collective energy among players is elevated, the excitement acts as a catalyst of an athlete’s passion that can emerge mid-game.
“You can’t work without relying on your teammates…so [communication] really helps with cooperation,” Kim said.
For senior and varsity co-captain Senna Yamamoto, identifying any areas of miscommunication and talking it out is essential.
“Our team is pretty close and we’ve all played together for most of our years here,” Yamamoto said. “When there’s miscommunication, we talk it out amongst ourselves…even off the field, we always make sure to be there for each other.”
Amidst the field of competitive sports, there exists a sense of unity among teammates that transcends the game itself, forming bonds akin to familial ties.
“Our team has gotten closer from the amount of [softball] we play,” Harris said.
For instance, during pregame huddles, the softball coach often leads the team with a chant: “sisters on three: one, two, three.” The seemingly ordinary yet impactful gesture resonates deeply with the team, reinforcing their unwavering sense of sisterhood fosters a sense of belonging for each player.
As one of her goals, Kim noted that she hopes to offer a warm welcome to the underclassmen recently initiated into the varsity softball team.
“One of my goals would be to include the underclassmen more,” Kim said. “I think that when we’re being inclusive and inviting, our team can grow even closer.”
Looking ahead, the softball team is setting their sights on securing the title of 2024 PCL champions, all the while cherishing the sense of sisterhood that bonds them together and continuing to excel at the sport they have learned to love deeply.