Maddie Hess, a senior at Villa Maria Academy, isn’t just a student and multimedia coordinator of The Rambler but also an athlete. She competes in softball at a competitive level playing for travel teams and high school.

Currently, she plays for Team Pennsylvania, a prestigious, travel softball team that travels nationwide to play some of the best completion available. As mentioned before, she also plays softball for Villa. She’s mainly a pitcher and an outfielder, most of the time playing center field. Occasionally, she’ll play second base.

She’s happy with the sport and wouldn’t want to change it. She did have something to say about the thought of possibly playing another position.

“I have always thought about being a catcher, but I don’t thing I could squat for that long,” she said.

So playing a new position is in her head, but she doesn’t quite have the mentality to want to go through with it yet.

As anyone who plays sports might know, it takes up a lot of free time. Student-athletes find themselves struggling to fit everything in. This was the case for Maddie, too.

“I think the worst part about softball for me is missing out on a lot of basic teenage-type events,” she said.

It’s very relatable quote that some could bear true varying on the sport. What really makes it feel like there’s no free time is playing both for a travel team and a high school team. But, that’s exactly what Maddie is able to do.

In response to which type she might favor, she said, “I usually get more excited for travel ball season because it is so much less stress on me. I love my travel ball coaches and the girls on my team.”

Maddie also talked about how there was less drama and stress that came with it.

“High school ball is fun, but I don’t like that it is during school,” Maddie said. “Having to balance schoolwork and practice every day makes me more stressed.”

However, Maddie Hess’ softball career isn’t close to over yet, as she plans to continue playing through college. Playing in college requires a lot of dedication, which Maddie has.

In a question regarding the furthest she’s traveled for her travel softball team, she answered that it is Florida. That’s a pretty far drive if you were to ask anyone from around Erie. Where she played was approximately a 16-hour drive.

That’s the type of dedication and passion for the sport that could bring you to a higher level. Maddie has a bright future ahead. Her striving mindset could be the thing that first opens up to her successful future.