Sophomore softball player, Sasha Emmrich, has started her spring season off strong as the starting catcher for Varsity. Her softball journey blossomed from her sister in 2nd grade. She played for many different summer ball teams and started traveling at 12 years old. Last year was her first year at Oak Hills, where she made Varsity as the only freshman. Emmrich explains, “Along with that, I started… which was hard, but I was able to push through.”
The Oak Hills Varsity Softball Team knows what dedication is by working hard in and out of season. With hours of hitting and catching practice on top of games and morning lifting, Emmrich tries to get all of her work done during the day so she can relax once she gets home from practice.
During her time at Oak Hills, Jackie Cornielius, head of the varsity softball team, played an essential role in Emmrich’s 
development. When asking Emmrich about her relationship with Cornelius, she explains, “She helps me tremendously with my catching form and style… I know she is always there to help me correct my form and pick me up if I am having a bad game.” Next to Cornelius, Duane Wallace, assistant Varsity softball coach, has helped Emmrich develop as a person by teaching her life lessons or being someone to lean on when she’s struggling. On top of her coaches, Emmrich has such a strong connection with her team due to spending essentially the entire week together while still finding time to hang out outside of practice and games. Emmrich’s improvement as a player and as a person stems from her team encouraging and keeping her mentality positive when she’s down or has a tough game but also pushing each other to be the best they can be, even if it’s not their best day. Rachel Newport, Junior softball player, explains, “She is a very supportive teammate, and she helps uplift the team with her positive attitude and constant push to make everyone else on the team strive to do their best in every single game.”
Between her coaches and her team, Emmrich has developed her character out of drive and determination. During 12-and-under travel ball, Emmrich was playing a tournament in Alabama when she slid into home and broke her leg. Unfortunately, she had to drive back to Cincinanti for surgery where two screws were put into her leg. “To this day, it is still painful when the weather changes because the metal in my leg is trying to adjust,” she explains. However, she was dealt a bad hand with her leg, she has the willpower and determination to overcome her injury.
Last year, Emmrich had an exceptional offensive season with six home runs, three of which were in one game against Colrain! Emmrich will continue to hit big and catch better than ever this season for the Highlanders!
