What it Takes
What it Takes
By Lillian Martineau
My love for the game started as soon as my brain could signal to my hand to pick up a ball. Most spend their lives searching for their passion, but for athletes, this passion is found in a game, embedded into every code in every gene inside their body. For me, baseball does just that.
But last season was when I started to take my baseball career to the next level. I want to play in college, so I began to contact coaches, go to showcases, and research what schools I wanted to go to. With this in the back of my mind, I was playing for my summer travel team. I spent four days a week with them and training with my dad the other three days. In season, I found myself successful with making solid contact, producing base hits and an occasional double. But I want to hit the ball hard and through the fence everywhere I play. Not over the fence, but through it. (That may not make sense, but there are a lot of mental cues I use that, quite honestly, seem to be another language.) The day after my last fall baseball game in early November, I knew that the next day was time to start my “offseason.”
Winter is typically my busiest time of year, which is why the term “offseason” has never truly fit into my yearly agenda. Once basketball begins, most days tend to look the same—school, basketball, gym, baseball, homework, sleep. As boring as that may sound, these days are unbeatable. Although I enjoy a day off once in a while, I love being busy. This offseason I knew I needed to condition like a crazy person to get in better baseball shape so I could get to the next physical level and compete with the boys. But I also had some basic mechanics to take care of in my swing. For one, I needed to shorten my bat path and extend through the ball if I was ever going to “hit the ball through the fence.” To solve this issue, I couldn’t just sit around and mentally tell myself not to do it. I would hit in the batting cage in my garage for several hours a week, doing drills and Zoom meetings with my online coach Ken Cherryhomes to beat this habit.
Some days, the words, thoughts, and actions seamlessly bind together and make perfect sense. On one of those magical days, I woke up at 7 a.m. for a one-hour lift with my trainer, then drove an hour for my lesson with my hitting coach, Glenn Katz. Although exhausted, my brain was excited. Every lesson I had with him, I learned a new cue or motion that would piece together my swing. That day, I had an epiphany and it all seemed to click. I had two other baseball practices that day, but I wasn’t annoyed or tired. Everything felt perfectly aligned. These moments are what I strive for every single time I step into a batting cage or the gym. I want to constantly make myself a better baseball player.
As you’re aware, I’m a girl working to compete against boys. Most people wonder why I train so hard since it might not be worth it if I don’t make it to college. And to a degree, they’re correct. It wouldn’t make sense for me to train day in and day out, pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into this game if I won’t make it past high school baseball. But deep down, I know that’s not the only reason I train. Yes, I practice and lift frequently to compete with the boys and play in college, but I also train to better myself and learn lessons along the way. In just about nine years of playing this sport, I’ve learned how to face adversity, overcome stereotypes, and how mentally tough I can be in difficult situations. I realize my goals all pertain to baseball. But when I accomplish them, my life will be impacted in many other ways, as well as affect the lives of all girls who work harder than most to be successful in this world.
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Lillian Martineau is a sophomore at Lewis Mills High School in Harwinton, CT. She plays baseball and basketball and intends to major in communications. In her free time, she likes going to the beach, fishing, ice skating, baking, and being with friends and family.
Mark Mosley is a public school 7th grade math teacher. He draws baseball cards when he is not driving his son to baseball or his daughter to gymnastics. His cards can be seen on Twitter @mosley_mark, on Instagram @idrawbaseballcards, and can be purchased at https://idrawbaseballcards.bigcartel.com/ Mark is a big fan of Lillian Martineau!
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