Captain of the varsity softball team, senior Zoey Marinello, has recently committed and signed to play Division II softball for Frostburg State University. The senior has been playing for 13 years, starting out at four years old with tiny t-ball with the Leesburg Girls Softball League. Marinello started playing as a catcher, then first base, and two summers ago was introduced to second base where she currently plays.
“It was very new to me at first but after some practice I started to love it and all the action I got,” Marinello said.
Softball’s sense of community, best friends and connections prompted Marinello’s love of the sport. Keeping in touch with former teammates and coaches makes Marinello feel like they’re family.
While not having a specific song she listens to, she finds upbeat rap helps keep her focused and motivated. More important than music is her role model.
“My biggest role model is probably my mom because she is always so supportive and there for me no matter what,” Marinello said. “She always puts 100% into everything she does and it encourages me to do the same.”
Outside of softball she does different lifting and conditioning workouts as well as hitting and fielding workouts she can do by herself. Her best advice to younger athletes is to always have fun but play more seriously and to love every second you’re on the field.
“Some of the best advice I’ve gotten is not to succumb to failure and let it get the best of you,” said Marinello. “Softball is a game of failure and you’re never going to be perfect, so learning how to stay positive and confident has made the biggest difference in how I play.”
Marinello recounts the recruiting process as being stressful, having to send emails between tournaments can get tiring, but it did pay off in the end. She also found it fun going on visits to potential schools. Marinello says it can also be hard to balance her softball career with her education, but as a senior she had learned how to balance her school work and athletics and she’s learned that taking breaks is important so you don’t overwork yourself. But school won’t be the only thing on a player’s mind; it can take a mental toll when a loss or mistake occurs.
“I try not to dwell on hard practices or losses because you’re never going to be perfect and mistakes happen… As captain of the team you have to set an example and being crazy about mistakes and losses doesn’t help the team get better,” Marinello said.
While she does not plan on making a career of softball after college she does have an interest in coaching.
“I have thought about coaching a lot and it is something I’m very interested in. I’ve worked some softball camps teaching younger girls and I’d love to coach a younger team and work up to a higher level,” Marinello said.
