Malia Moli feels at home on third base. She plays on Armijo’s Junior Varsity (JV) softball team and said that the “vibe” of the team is fun and optimistic.

Moli’s inspiration for softball comes from her coaches because they “drive me to be better,” she said. A celebrity that she looks up to is a basketball player named Candace_Parker . Like her, Moli plans on pursuing a career in sports. She likes softball because “it’s fun and it’s good to be active,” she said. She also likes basketball and has been playing it for a long time.

A typical day in softball starts with Moli preparing her mind by listening to music. When the team gets together, they prep their field, set up their equipment, warm-up their batting and their throws, and then get into defense. It’s routine, but it’s not always easy. As she becomes a better player, she hopes to improve throwing and so much of her practice is doing just that, learning more from her coaches.

For Moli, the easiest thing about softball is running the bases. “If you could steal, than you could get the game going,” she said. Still, it is hard to make plays and she is learning to think before doing something.

One thing that she has already accomplished is adapting to the situations in the field and position changes. “We were really doubting ourselves in the beginning of the school year,” Moli said, “and now we’re excited to play.” She admits that it is not just her who is improving on the field.

Because of what she’s seen, she’s learned “to not to be as hard on myself as I usually am,” she said. She can now encourage other players, present and future, to practice, practice, practice. “Trying a sport is not just working out, the bonds you build and the skills you learn, is one of the best things I have”

Moli balances softball and school by leaving space for studying and homework. “Let mistakes flow through because you just adapt and change,” she said, remembering the quote from another source.