VYPE: Ella, what grade are you in this year and what age did you start playing softball?

Ella Sofield: I am in 10th grade, and I started playing softball at the age of 7 years old. 

VYPE: What position do you play?
ES: My primary position is anywhere in the outfield and my secondary position is middle infield. 

VYPE: What is the strength of your skill set and what have you improved on the most?
ES: The strength of my skill set is my dedication and my ability to be coach able when one of my coaches asks me to do something for the better of the team. 

VYPE: Do you play fastpitch and does slow-pitch help your fastpitch game?
ES: Yes, I do play fastpitch. Slow-pitch definitely helps me a lot with the defensive side of fastpitch because I can get lots of work in the outfield. Slow-pitch hitting also plays a good role by helping me generate more power to get ready for fastpitch. 

VYPE: What is one of the biggest challenges you face as a student-athlete?
ES: My biggest challenge as a high school athlete is time management. The days we aren’t at school, it is definitely tough to come back and make up all the assignments I have and on top of that still managing to play softball on the side. 

VYPE: What does the support you receive mean to you?
ES: The support from my parents, coaches, and fans means everything to me. Looking in the crowd and seeing so much support from my parents, teammates, and coaches gives me motivation to make them proud. 

VYPE: How do you mentally prepare for competition?
ES: One of the ways I prepare to face tough competition out on the field is to make sure I’m locked in and not fooling around before game time and most importantly asking God to give me confidence and strength to know what I know how to do and play like it when I step on the field. 

VYPE: What do you love most about your teammates?
ES: What I love most about my teammates is how supportive and uplifting they are. Every game I play with them even if I am doing bad, they always know how to put a smile on face whether I’m at school ball or travel ball. 

VYPE: What’s the goal for life after high school?
ES: My overall goal for life after high school is go to college with a full ride athletic scholarship and become an anesthesiologist. 

VYPE: Who inspires you?
ES: The two people that inspire me most on and off the field are my parents. Walking onto the softball field one of my overall goals is to make them proud and I know they are always proud of me no matter what. 

VYPE: What accomplishment are you most proud of as an athlete?
ES: I am proud of the many accomplishments I have made in softball over the years but the one I am most proud of is how much I have grown as a player, person, and teammate since when I first started. Softball has taught me a lot and I don’t know where I would be today without it.