09/04/2026
8TH GRADE NIGHT ❤️🥎
Well… 8th Grade Night was a tough one lol.
We’re a young team with young pitching and young athletes, and tonight that showed at times. We came out, battled for a few innings, and then things went a little left on us.
But tonight, I witnessed something that meant a whole lot more to me than what was on the scoreboard.
I saw tremendous growth from Danika.
All night long, she made sure her young pitchers knew she believed in them. She encouraged them, communicated with them, and took charge every opportunity she had.
She finished the night with 4 caught stealing, 2 walks, and smoked two balls into the outfield that were simply played extremely well by a very athletic center fielder.
But as impressed as I was with her performance on the field, that wasn't what made me the most proud.
It was her pregame speech.
Listening to her thank her head coach for three years of believing in her, three years of coaching her hard, and three years of helping develop her into not only a better softball player, but a better young lady was a proud dad moment I'll never forget.
Then I looked around at some of the girls who have played beside Danika for the last few seasons, and I could see what she has meant to them. Not just as a catcher. Not just as a teammate. Not just as a leader.
But as a friend.
That's when it hit me…
We spend so much time in sports worrying about wins, losses, batting averages, errors, strikeouts and trophies that sometimes we forget to recognize the victories that will actually matter years from now.
Tonight wasn't the ending she wanted on the scoreboard.
But I watched my daughter lead.
I watched her encourage.
I watched her take responsibility.
I watched her show gratitude.
And I watched her teammates show just how much she has meant to them.
Not every W comes from the scoreboard.
Sometimes the biggest win is realizing the game is helping your kid become the person you hoped she would become.
Tonight was one of those wins.
Proud doesn't even begin to cover it. ❤️🥎
One more middle school season winding down… and one heck of a young lady emerging from it.
