Known as the captain of the Grosse Pointe South Varsity Softball team, shortstop Avery Bellish ’24 is making her way to Penn West (Clarion) University to pursue her love of softball.
Bellish expresses her feelings and what it means to her to have this opportunity.
“It feels so nice and it’s so exciting,” Bellish said. “But the work is only the beginning, for right now at least I can just relax and enjoy my senior year and my last softball season in the south.”
To achieve this kind of success, Bellish has to stay in good shape, which means being fast enough that the ball doesn’t go past her, even if it means getting bruises or cuts. She has a strict eating schedule, not as a diet but rather what time she can eat.
“I would pack a lunch every day to where I had the right amount of protein and the right amount of sugary goods not only for my blood sugar condition but also for this sport that I love so much,” Bellish said.
Bellish has gym workouts every day after school until spring practice comes. She has a hitting coach and sees him 1 or 2 times a week. She and her dad go to Richard Elementary School once in a while to throw ground balls and hit. While being fit is needed, filming everything for colleges is essential when trying to get into a school with a good softball team.
“Either on my dad’s GoPro or on his phone, all my practices and games get filmed, not only for me to improve my skills but also for specific colleges to get a sense of how I play,” Bellish said.
As eager as Bellish is to get some real competition in college, it’s making her even more excited and ready for whatever comes her way.
“Definitely the competition is going to be better and stronger, but I don’t think it’s going to get harder, it’s just gonna be a lot of work,” Bellish said.
When all this competition is the main focus, Bellish is still worried about how her life outside of softball will be in college, being in a dorm, meeting new people and living life to the fullest without her parents being there is something Bellish will have to adjust when the school year comes to an end.
“I’m scared that I’m going to be living in an entirely different state, but I’ve already made a family with the whole team and I spent the night and it was so nice because now they know me and we are all comfortable now to have the best seasons and try our best,” Bellish said.
