Twelve-year-old Elizabeth stood on the makeshift pitcher's mound; her eyes fixed on an imaginary batter. She wore a faded baseball cap, the same one her older brother, Jack, wore every day before he was killed in a car crash, her long ponytail hanging out the back. With a determined look, Elizabeth fixed her eyes on her target, wound up and threw a baseball towards a tree stump that served as home plate. BANG! Strike three she said to herself, throwing her arms as if she had just won the world series.
Elizabeth sat on her bed, flipping through a well-worn book about the history of baseball. Her eyes sparkled with dreams as she read about famous players who played the game she hoped to play "One day, I'll play in the majors" she said aloud, clutching a baseball signed by her favorite player, her dad, who played minor league baseball for the Atlanta Braves.
Elizabeth joined her friends on the field, her heart racing with excitement. Despite being smaller than most, she never backed down from a challenge. As Elizabeth grabbed her bat and stepped in the batter's box, she tapped the top of her helmet like her dad used to do in his playing days and took a deep breath. She could feel the eyes of her peers watching. "Slow the game down and just focus" she whispered to herself, clutching the bat tightly, just like her brother had shown her. With one mighty swing and a crack of the bat, the ball soared over the center field fence.
Back at home, her mother's arm around her listening as Elizabeth recounted the game. Her grandmother, a former college softball player herself, nodded approvingly. "Keep chasing your dreams Kiddo. You are going to change the game forever" her grandmother said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Elizabeth practiced late into the night, her father flipping ball after ball to Elizabeth, who, in turn, smacked into a net in the garage. The garage walls were lined with motivational quotes, reminding her of the hard work it takes to reach the top. "Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games" her father reminded her with a grin, tossing another ball her way.
Elizabeth lay on the grass, her hands calloused and sore from hours of practicing the game she loved. Elizabeth looked up at the star filled sky and imagined each star as steppingstones to her dreams. "I'll make it one day" she said loudly to the universe, determination shining in her eyes. And then, Elizabeth whispered, "I'm going to play in the major leagues one day, Jack". The wind blew gently in the otherwise still summer night. "Bedtime Elizabeth" mom called out the back porch door. As Elizabeth waited for sleep to set in, she looked up at a jagged piece of paper taped to her nightstand, written by her the first time she fell in love with baseball. It read, simply, "OUTWORK EVERYONE".
