Michaela Doiron '22 Recruiting Profile

When I grew up, I always knew that I wanted to play some sport. My mom was surrounded by sports when she was grew up. She liked to play tough because she was surrounded by boys; she had three brothers. My dad played baseball but secretly hoped his parents would let him play football. They cared about him too much to let him get hurt. My parents showed me various sports, but only one that I wanted to keep watching was softball. I started out playing recreational summer softball when I was about 8 and began pitching in 10u because no one else stepped up on our team to do it. Watching so many levels of softball (professional, college, and even older recreational summer pitchers) inspired me to get serious about playing. I started pitching lessons and travel ball around the end of 14u and I regret not starting older. However, this has allowed me to grow out of my shy shell and be the leader and natural athlete I am today. 

After playing for the past 8 years and seriously pitching for the last 3, I have learned to take the sport for what it is: fun. Do not be good hard on yourself for making one mistake, my coaches keep reminding me. I often over critique myself, but that allowed me to learn more about my body and the way that I pitch. When somebody asks me, “Do you know what you are doing wrong?” I often reply with the answer that they were going to explain to me. When you put too much pressure on yourself, you do not get to enjoy the fun of softball; playing with people that have the same passion as you. Looking back, I see the fruit of my labor growing into a fruitful tree (getting a win).