I glanced at the lineup Coach Martin set out for the game against Oconomowoc. It read I was hitting in the sixth spot as DH (designated hitter). Celebrating in my mind, I could not believe I was about to have my first at-bat in a varsity game. 

Nerves filled my body, as I was actually about to stand at the plate for a varsity game. I remember warm-ups that day as if it was still fresh in my mind. As Coach Martin threw me so-called “everydays” I remember her saying, “You’ve proven yourself in practice, let’s hit like this in tonight’s game.” 

I remember thinking, it’s not that easy, and again the nerves filled my body. I knew what I was capable of, and I did not want to let Coach Martin down. 

“Number 21, Alayna Bilek,” was announced. 

I walked up to the plate and Coach Martin gave me a bunting sign. 

“You can do it,” she proclaimed as she clapped her hands to let me know she was done giving signs. 

A bunt down the third-base line got me out at first. 

“Alayna you moved the runners, exactly what we needed!” she yelled.

 At that moment, I felt part of the team, HER team. 

Since that game, she continued to put me in. Thinking the nerves would settle by the eighth at-bat, they didn’t. Looking back, hitting was not what made me nervous…It was the fear of my coach losing trust in me. I don’t know why I felt this way; every practice she reassured me I would only get better. I took this to heart and realized she truly cared about each one of her players. 

As the season went on, the relationship we built was stronger than my second basemen’s throw to first. She asked me for favors. She relied on my help. It felt good knowing she could rely on me. She goofed with me and came to me for information. It was as if she was my coach, a teacher, and my friend. 

My love for the game grew because of Coach Martin. I felt happy every time I stepped on and off the field...whether we won or not. Knowing someone as important as a coach liked me as not only a player but a person was the best confidence booster I could have asked for. 

Finishing the season earning honorable mention all-conference, I was ecstatic. Coach Martin was the first to tell me the news, and how proud she was of me. Confidence is something I can’t gain overnight. It progresses with hard work and with a coach like Coach Martin. Confidence is what constructed me to get better and to be a consistent hitter (the best type of hitter). She was and still is my biggest motivator. She’s been coaching softball for years and still shows passion. I could not be the proud, passionate, positive player without Coach Martin and her dedicated, supportive, caring self.