Finding the Circle:

Senior pitcher Anannya Jadhav has grown into more than just a softball player during her high school career. Softball has shaped her as both a player and a person while giving her memories and friendships she will carry long after graduation.

Jadhav began pitching at age 9 after the position was introduced for her age group. She said she was curious about the challenge and quickly gravitated towards it.

One of her most memorable varsity softball moments came against Freedom, when she held the team to just one run over seven innings to secure the win.

“The biggest mental challenge of being a pitcher is the pressure of knowing that the entire defense relies on my pitching.” Jadhav said. “It can be really scary and stressful.”

Over time, she learned to manage that pressure by trusting her defense.

“I’ve handled it by learning to trust my defense and know that they will always have my back, even on the bad pitches,” she said.

Stepping Into Leadership:

As a senior, Jadhav has taken on a larger leadership role on the softball team, especially with younger players. She said she has grown especially close with her freshman catcher and often feels like an older sister to teammates.

Outside of school softball, she credits her longtime travel softball coach, who has coached her since she was 8 years old, as a major influence on both her game and mindset.

Lessons Beyond Softball:

Softball has also taught her to stay confident through mistakes.

“Something I’ve learned from softball is that I’m always going to have another chance or another try, like the next pitch or the next at bat,” she said. “I shouldn’t be scared to make that leap or take that swing.”

As her senior season winds down, she said what she will miss most is the people.

“My teammates have become some of my best friends over the past few years, and I’m really going to miss them when I graduate,” she said.

Safe to say nobody on the team is ever going to hear “Hey Ya!” the same way again without thinking of Anannya Jadhav.