The Softball Player of the Year award went to varsity fielder and catcher Arianna Jackson. She has played varsity all four years of high school, and she had three home runs this season–but what means the most to her are the people who have impacted her softball career.
Ari Jackson has played softball for thirteen years now since her dad got her involved with Little League Baseball around the age of 4, and she has loved playing ever since. She has played first base and catcher throughout her softball career.
Her jersey number is nine, not her first choice but since 11 was taken, nine ended up becoming a special number for her.
Ari was thrilled about winning the award; making Coach Chung and her dad proud made her feel like it was a positive way to finish her softball season.
“I wanted to go out and I wanted to be good,” Ari said, “I wanted to be one of the best players on the team, and I feel like with this award, it showed I did what I wanted to do.”
She had many mentors, but none stand out as much as her dad Roberto Jackson. Not only is he her father, but he was also one of her coaches in her early career. Having her parents and aunt show up to cheer her on during the games has always been special for her.
A second mentor of hers was her coach, Kaleo Chung. When she met Chung, she learned a whole new style and adapted to the game. At the banquet, he was the one who gave her the Player of the Year award and an academic award. He was the one who helped her grow throughout her high school career and she’s very thankful she met him.
“I’m really glad I was able to live up to expectations and succeed for him because for our fundraiser last year, we raised the most money and he bought me my bat, so I felt like I needed to make good on that promise that I told him, that I was going to do good with it,” Ari said.
This award is presented to a player who is a consistent player, and Ari was the one to push herself to become the best on the team. Her goal was to be a good teammate and a good player who people around her would admire. Over time, softball became a natural thing for her, which made her feel like a more confident player.
“I put a lot of work into becoming consistent. I’d wake up early. I’d hit for 30 minutes in the morning every day,” Ari said. “I’d use a bunch of different techniques to make sure I was consistent.”
Her future is not related to softball or an award at all, but she is also happy with what she has accomplished as a student. She hopes to study engineering, and doing softball alongside would stress her out, but she’ll always have a great high school career to look back at.
Ari consistently helps people around her through her positive attitude and her perseverance. Even if she won Player of the Year, she wants people to see her as more than the award and more of a good influence. She’s still learning and growing to be a better person, through softball and whatever her future may hold.
