At first, I thought this was all a dream. The last time I will step foot on this High School Softball field ever again. This is the last time that I can show my coaches what they have done for me and how they have impacted my whole softball career. I can feel the tears ready to flow like a waterfall when that last pitch in the seventh inning goes over the plate. 

“Lilly, are you okay?” The coach asks in a soft muffled voice. 

“Yes coach, I just am a little nervous and emotional,” I mutter.

Saying this was one of the hardest things that I have ever done in my high school softball career. And just like that, it was over. We did it for grandma. 

Alright, let's back this story up. Hello, my name is Lilly. I am just an ordinary girl that rolls out of bed, gets changed, brushes my hair, brushes my teeth, and usually puts contacts in. But what people don't see behind my super energetic self is that I struggle with seeing who I am and how to understand myself. Some people may call that depression but I don't look at myself as depressed. But of course, there are people in my life that understand me. For example, my best friend Savanna has changed my life, and of course my parents. My mom and dad also keep me moving in life and successful. But what people also don’t see is I have a girl on my softball team named Ava and she makes me depressed by telling me that I look silly and I am not to her standards. Some people may ask how and I always tell them the same things over and over, they just understand me in ways they might not. The hardest time of my life was during my last softball season, grandma died. Here in Lomira, we are family, almost everyone I talked to made sure I was doing well and I would receive letters, flowers, gifts, anything you could think of was sent to me. Grandma was a person that reached out to other people and even the coaches at games to make sure they had their water or clipboard when they needed it. 

Softball changed my life, I always say. But the coaches were the real reason, they knew me and knew what I was going through, they made sure I had the best senior year. Knowing that I was going to be a cowgirl at the University Of Wyoming playing D1 softball was an awesome feeling but knowing that I need to still stay strong for my high school softball team was hard. I always had an incredible feeling that this was going to be an amazing year for our Lomira 2021 softball team. 

Let me take you back to where it all started. We are here, STATE! Yes of course we made it. I was overly excited to be standing foot on the field thinking that we would be taking the title of winning the D3 state championship. 

“Heads or tails?” The umpire asks me. 

“Tails!” I yell

“It’s tails,” He says in a splendid voice. 

“Does Lomira want to field or hit first? ” He mentions.

“We would like to Field first please,” I exclaimed. 

It was the bottom of the seventh inning and we were down one with a runner on third ready to score. Coach called a quick timeout to talk about the smart playout to try to get Zoey home. Emily was up to bat and we really needed a hit or some type of squeeze play. Coach called out a number on her arm card. 

“Red 2 7-6!” Coach yelled as loud as she could so we heard. 

I looked at my arm and the card went red. The first number 2 was a dummy number and 7-6. It was of course a squeeze play. This is when the batter needs to get a bunt down, while she is bunting the runner is coming home as fast as she can to beat the fielder’s tag or throw it home. I watch the pitcher as she winds her arm up hoping that she throws a good pitch. This was the slowest moment of my life just like watching paint dry. All I hear is the crack of the ball hitting the bat. It was a perfect bunt. Zoey is sprinting home like a cheetah, and Emily was running so fast her shoes almost fell off. 

“SAFE!” The umpire screams 

Now, all we do is wait for the call at first if Emily made it there in time to be safe. 

“SAFE!” The first base umpire motions. 

We all pile out on the field to congratulate ourselves. I couldn't believe it, this can't be happening. The coach comes and hugs me just like a bear would. I knew this would happen, I called it from the start of the season. What a great way to end my senior year! But best yet, we did it for grandma!

Now it's August 20th and it's time to move into my new dorm room in Wyoming. Let's say it was a sad day to see my family so emotional and for them to say their last goodbyes. They have always been on the sidelines, they always watch me play, pitch , hit, and throw. They would pick me up on bad days, and celebrate with me on the good days. They always made sure I had the best coaches and the best training so that I could live a life like my dreams. The last thing that my dad carried in was the blanket that my grandma had made for me when I was seven years old and she was going through cancer. I gave them extra big hugs and said goodbye. It was super hard to realize that this would be the last time that I would hug my parentsgive my parents a hug for another 4 months. I sat in my room watching my mom and dad leave as if they had the whole day and nothing mattered.

Later that week my roommate and I decided that we were going to go out and watch a movie then come back and eat some ice cream. I wanted to get the bright yellow, pink, and blue superman ice cream. The taste of it was a blue moon and red pop with some delicious vanilla. On the way home little did we know that it was going to be raining super hard, and things on the road were successful to be very safe for us to be driving on. We were too caught up in the moment, singing and having fun when a semi came to a complete stop in front of us and we ran right into the back of the trailer. The sounds were horrendous and the lights were as bright as the sun as if it was about to blow up. Then there was nothing. All I remember is some guy asking me if I was okay. Then everything went black. 

I woke up to the nasty smell of hospital disinfect coming through my nose. The room was silent apart from my heavy breathing and the beep boop sound you hear in hospitals that tells you you're alive. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting in an attempt to see the blurred curtain ahead of me. How long have I been here? I shut my eyes, trying to remember what had exactly happened. Then it all hits me with a big bang. The memory of it all starts to come through. 

The pain jolted through my body. I was suddenly cold and shivering.  I was still alive. People started to surround me, some dialing 911 to seek medical help. A man was telling me “Hold on, you’ll be fine”. I didn’t want to hold on. Then I woke back up confused. Mom was there and so was my whole softball team, I never knew what I did for the team for them to show up. There she was, Ava, the person I struggled with. When she was in the room I felt like there were 100 heavy clay bricks on my chest. She came over to talk to me, asked me how I was doing and there was one thing that she said that made me wonder. She said something along the lines of my grandma and my depression. It's like she knew how to make me feel like I was nobody.

When I found out that I broke my arm it was one of the hardest things I have ever heard. But I knew that I needed to come back dressed for revenge and to show my team who I am. My teammates were the best people through my recovery. I did come back dressed for revenge and earned a scholarship to help me pay for my schooling. Then something unbelievable happened!