Makayla Martin '21 Recruiting Profile

I was born into a loving family.  We live in Danville, California where my mom grew up. My Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and Cousins all live within walking distance to our house. I am fortunate to live close to family although we have a large extended family in Texas. My Mom was the Girl Scout troop leader for years where I formed many lasting friendships. My Dad got me interested in softball in first grade. From there I played every year since.  At the age of eleven I decided to play travel ball all year.  In those years I was bigger, faster and stronger than the other girls. I'm not sure when I started pitching it was maybe when I was 7 or 8.  I loved being in the circle and being the starting pitcher when I was not playing first base.  (in recreational softball I was not allowed to pitch every inning of every game) I always batted in the three, four or five spot. We won most games and championships in a large league. It was a lot of fun. 

I bounced around a few travel teams. Trying to find the right fit.. in my second year of 14u I joined a new team with a Cal Catcher as coach, turned out that she played at Cal with my pitching coach. That was the experience that changed softball.  Intense college level workouts and an indoor facility, we were a diverse group of girls but played as a team. We only had two pitchers and I pitched a lot, we traded off at first base.  Going deep into tournaments on Sunday was hard.  I played with that team through 16u when the dynamics of the team changed and family changes made it harder for my parents to support. 

My freshman year in High School I was given the opportunity to play Varsity. On the advice of my pitching coach I decided to play Junior Varsity where I would pitch significantly more, when I was not pitching I was playing first base. I was the JV MVP and moved up to Varsity in my freshman year.  I did not pitch a lot under a senior but was to be the starter as a junior over another senior this year. Unfortunately  our high school season was cancelled. 

In the fall I started to play for an 18u team with only two pitchers. On the 16u team I was injured early in the season but came back in time for the PGF qualifier that got us to the PGF Nationals. Too many pitchers on the 18u team.  Took a chance with a new team that was strong over the summer but more or less lost all of their players. Schedule was okay, but not at the competitive level I was looking for, the team did not hold the original schedule and started playing in lower level tournaments as it was clear not everyone was up to the higher level competition.   Mid season I started guest pitching for Lady Wolfpack on off weekends playing PGF in Las Vegas and Huntington Beach.  I've stuck with this team as they know how to call my game. I hope to be the starter this fall (if we ever play).

Recently my pitching coach called me a "gamer", I guess because the competition and pressure raise my game and pitching to another level. 

The new normal for high school (online) has hurt my GPA as the classes are pass/fail and no letter grade is given. Every attempt to take the PSAT has been cancelled. For college I want to pursue a career in Psychology or Sociology which will require graduate school. Additionally, I prefer a smaller school where I can meet lifelong friends and grow as a person. I hope to be able to give back to softball one day. This year I signed up as an assistant coach on a local recreational softball team and also taught private pitching lessons to little kids, I was really enjoying that before the pandemic hit.

After four years of summer training starting at the age of eleven I became a Certified Lifeguard and CPR Certified, my observant, attentive, assertive, and tough minded nature and natural strength has made me a natural for this position of responsibility and action. Last summer I taught swimming lessons at the high school and private lessons at homes. Unfortunately the pool is closed this summer.

In the circle, and otherwise on the field, I feel that I have a situational awareness and can make those split second decisions under changing circumstances. I believe that the traits that I have learned from pitching; being tough and focused, in difficult situations has enabled me to persevere in other aspects of life. 

I really enjoy my teammates and working hard to win. I'm looking forward to competing at the collegiate level and helping my school win.

-Makayla