She places her helmet on her head, laces up her cleats and tightens her ponytail. Emerging from the dugout, she approaches home plate and prepares to swing. Her teammates eagerly peer through the dugout fence to catch a glimpse. The ball is pitched and the sound of the metal bat in contact rings throughout the field. She advances around the bases. Jen Westphal ’22 is on the go.
Westphal is a crucial member of the Staples varsity softball team. They are currently 7-5, and she has helped win many of the games. Westphal has been playing softball for all her life. She is currently one of three freshman on the Staples girls’ varsity softball team. Westphal usually plays catcher or an outfielder, but given her constant practice and devotion, her ability is fluid throughout every position.
“I love every position in this game,” Westphal ’22 said.
One of Westphal’s most memorable moments of the season thus far is her walk-off homerun when Staples was in extra-innings against Greenwich. This play led her to win the “Ruden Report Player of the Week” award.
“Everytime she gets up to bat I expect great things and I am usually never disappointed,” Olivia Bernard ’21 said. “She is a powerhouse and makes great contact.”
Not only are Westphal’s skills essential to the team’s achievements, Westphal has also fostered relationships with her teammates. These relationships have helped her to grow as a person on and off the field.
“My team has given me nothing but support throughout this season and I’m so thankful for that,” Westphal said.
As an underclassman, Westphal has felt a sense of maturity being surrounded by most upperclassman. According to her teammates, since the start of the season, Westphal’s personality and positive attitude has been infectious to everyone around her.
“[Westphal] is a great teammate overall,” Sami Levin ’19 said. “She is someone who is always excited to be there.”