Élise Wantiez '20 Recruiting Profile

    The game of softball has shown me, I can do anything I decide to do. Softball has allowed me prove to many people and myself anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Recently my family shared with me when I was younger they thought the game of softball would pass me up because of my eye sight. I never knew it because they were always there guiding and encouraging me, I have since proved them wrong and continue to excel in softball with my continuous work ethics and dedication to the sport of softball, not only through games but practices, lessons and drills off the field. I really started to show my love for softball when I was eight years old. I made my first part-time travel team. I really knew softball was in my blood because I could not wait to get to the field. I could say I was the best on the team, but truth be told I was not. I was what you call the underdog. None of the coaches knew me and all the other players knew coaches or had past relations with them. This made me work even harder to show not only with the coach, but also to myself that I could play the game of softball. Next season and I had different coach and she did not like me, not sure why but her daughter was also a pitcher. She would not give me a chance or did she think I was any good. My coach would say bad comments about me, sit me on the bench, and also told the other coaches in the dugout “She sucks!” I took those words turned them into encouragement I needed to work even harder, and to this day I have these words in the back of my head. I use those words to remind myself to work harder and harder every day just to prove to myself I can play the game, I love so very much. I was not going to let my coach or any other person bring me down! “If you’re going to stand up for what you believe in you have to be willing to pay the price.”

    My academic goals for high school for high school is continuously study in order to achieve the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) possible. In my junior I will prepare and take both the SAT and ACT test to achieve a score which will allow me to go college of choice. I will take classes in high school which will prepare me for college and my future goals. I want to plan softball in college. I am a pitcher and currently have five pitches which are game ready (Fastball, Curveball, Changeup, Drop Ball, and Splitter). Presently, I am developing a Rise Ball and a Knuckle Ball, which are not quite ready at this point. During the games I play right field and third base. School, grades, pitching and softball have always gone hand in hand throughout my career. I need to achieve the grades to play and I need to play to achieve my grades.

    I have learned a lot through playing softball, not just about the game also about myself. I learned people will try to break you as a player and I have to continue to fight to achieve the goals I have set for myself. I learned not to get down on my teammates or myself when errors are committed or when I make a bad pitch. I know I must go back to pitcher’s mound and get ready to throw again. I need to stay focused and put my team in a position to win.  It did not come easy but I learned if you keep a positive attitude, cheer for everyone and show your support for the team, they will always be there to back you up. The game of softball taught me so much and also made me a better all-around person. Softball is not just a game to me, it is my life both on the field and off the field.

Elise Wantiez 

August 2017