Carla Bedolla is a senior here at Glendale High School, and she is the co-captain of our varsity softball team. In her free time, she likes to go to the gym, watch anime, and crochet.
Carla first started playing softball long ago, when she and her family would go out on the weekend and play together. She said, “It was for fun, and we never took it seriously.”
But then, once Carla started high school, she found out there was a team here. That’s when she realized that she really liked softball, and from then on, she started taking it more seriously, especially now that she was actually a part of a team.
On our varsity softball team, Carla is known as a utility player, meaning that she can play multiple positions on the field. At first, she was playing shortstop, which she really enjoyed, but later on, they turned her into an outfielder when she hit her sophomore year.
After that, her coaches had Carla playing many different roles on the team, because they realized they could trust her in whichever position she was playing. “I kind of was just like all over the place,” she claimed. If you come to one of her games this season, you will most likely see her now as a pitcher.
Carla’s favorite memory from being on the softball team is the bus rides. “I love the team chemistry on the bus rides,” she said. “And I love being able to listen to music and sing with my friends.”
For Carla, being a co-captain is an important role to fill, as she must be someone that the rest of the team can see as a role model and a leader. She stated, “It means a lot to me personally, because I get the responsibility without any type of pressure, and I get to be in charge of the girls, but also a friend to them.”
Carla is a really great co-captain, and she is always there for her teammates. She helps them with fixing any mistakes they make on the field, and she always makes sure to encourage them.
Carla believes that she has had success on the softball field, because she was determined to improve. “My freshman year, I really wanted to be on varsity, so I took the summer practices really intensively,” she admitted. “I would stay an hour late, just to do extra reps with the coach, and by doing that, I just pushed myself to be the greatest I can be.”
This season will be Carla’s last year as a Nitro, and she believes it’s a “bittersweet feeling.” Carla sees the new freshmen coming in, learning and playing the sport that she has been playing for four years, and she thinks it’s heartwarming. “For now, I just want to enjoy the time with my teammates that I have left,” she said.
The one thing she will be most excited about for this season is being on the field with her friends. “The team chemistry is so important,” Carla said. “From the memories we make, and one thing I know is that win or lose, we still have each other’s back.”
Since the softball team has become a kind of family, Carla also likes to say that sometimes their practices don’t seem like just a practice. At times, they also feel like a hangout. Most of the girls on the team hang out outside of softball, so it makes perfect sense. Carla explained, “Because everybody on the team is your friend, it seems like you have these two extra hours of school to just hang out with them while working out.”
After graduation, Carla plans to go to a four-year university, and she recently got accepted into the University of Oregon, her dream school! For now, that university is her top choice, but she is still waiting to see if other colleges are her best option.
Carla is a great team captain, because she is very helpful with the new girls trying to learn the sport, and she’s an amazing teammate. She is someone who will always be cheering for you and always has your back if you make an error on the field.
Our softball players are very happy to have an amazing player like Carla on their team. If you are interested in joining our softball team next year, email Coach Forrest at [email protected].
