The CT Softball Blog

By Sophia Rodriguez

Every athlete grows up watching their favorite athletes on TV, wanting to be just like them.

They picture themselves in that moment. The uniforms, the competition, being the player that someone else can look up to.

It was all I ever wanted.

The opportunity laid in front of me from the beginning of my junior year was St. Peter’s University, where I had committed to play for the next four years. It was not only because of the team, but what the academics offered.

My dream was set. I was finally going to accomplish what every athlete wants. The hours of practice when no one was watching, the injuries, the blood, and tears, it had finally paid off.

I had a plan and I had gotten exactly what I wanted, to play at the highest level. I knew exactly what I wanted, until I didn’t.

Everything changed in February of my senior year.

I had gotten an acceptance letter from my dream school.

Clemson University: great academics, championship winning athletics, and a name known around the world.

Academics had always been my priority, and I knew my college career would be no different.

But, would giving up softball really be worth it? Would I regret switching schools this late into my senior year? Would my teammates and coaches, both past, present, and future be disappointed in my decision?

These questions along with a hundred more doubts crept into my mind. I needed advice, I needed opinions from those who knew me best, even though, ultimately, the decision was mine to make.

It was softball or my dream school.

I first discussed with my parents, my biggest support system. My Mom who brought me to countless college camps, who toured school after school, and drove thousands of miles every summer so I could have the opportunity to be seen by college coaches. And my Dad, my first coach, the one who spent the early mornings, driving to tournaments, and the late night hitting sessions in our basement.

They said it was my choice, that no matter what I chose, they would have my back.

The next person I wanted to talk to was my coach. Coach Jeff Babineau had known me since I was 7 years old. He watched me grow from the young player who had a softball bag too big to be on her back, to the senior captain he named.

Talking to Coach Babineau felt like it would give me some clarity on my decision, especially coming from the athletic point of view. That one conversation gave me all the clarity I needed.

He told me I should go for it, take the chance on Clemson. No matter what, my academics mattered the most. He reminded me that softball would always be there for me, whether I wanted to play club, manage, or come back and coach. I would always have a connection to the game, the one constant in my life for the past 11 years.

So, with an upcoming high school season approaching with St. Joseph’s, I had to make the quick decision to visit Clemson to see if I could truly see myself there. And I did.

It filled me with so much guilt. I felt like I was disappointing a team and a coach that were expecting me to come and play for the next four years, but I knew I had to make the right decision for myself. I would be a Clemson Tiger for the next four years.

Throughout the process of switching schools, I learned more about myself than I ever thought I could. I learned that you don’t have to give up what you love if you want to follow your dreams.

Softball is still a major portion of my life, and it always will be. Whether I am playing, coaching, managing, or watching, softball will always be in my life, even though I won’t be playing at the D1 level I thought I would be.

My story with softball is not finished. And even while I said “see you soon” to the sport, I said hello to my new dream of attending Clemson University.

Sophia Rodriguez, a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, is a freshman communications major at Clemson University.

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If you’d like to write something for The Player’s Voice, email publisher John Nash at jnash@ctsoftballblog.com.

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