"My story might be slightly different from what you are probably used to hear of. It all started back in summer 2010 when I already 15 years old. My dad found a branch in the beach that looked a lot like a baseball bat. "I've heard about that sport before" he said, "let's see if it is possible to hit that pine cone". Surprisingly it was not that hard at all and it was a very first step for my dad to become a coach and for me to become a player. Back then I only knew about baseball and was usually surrounded by boys during practices. It took us a year or two to get familiar with softball and other existing softball players in Lithuania. Since then this sport became everything to me, the game itself and people with the same passion as me.
I know it's hard to believe but we don't have a single field here in Lithuania and yet managed to participate in European softball championships 2012 and 2014 in Netherlands, even became 8th ranked national team in Europe while even struggling to gather a right amount of team members. It never stopped us from trying to be better in every possible way, without internal championships or tournaments we always have to come up with something else. Personally, I will always be thankful for a chance to play for "Eagles", one of the best teams in Czech republic. It was my first serious attempt to prove something as an independent player. I gained a bunch of experience during the season but most importantly, I made irreplaceable friends. Later on I became a part of Ukrainian club "Nika" which still is a remarkable opportunity for me to show what I can do in the field and at the same time to explore the world. Even if majority of time is spent with dirt in the hair, bruises up and down the legs and elbows, tired muscles and sleepless nights in the bus, this sport gave me sisterhood. It gave me a family and an opportunity to see the world from a different perspective and it definitely made me who I am today. Despite the fact that it is really hard to keep moving forward without normal fields and practices I still get invitations and it makes me try to get better with every touch I get with the softball.
I learned how to appreciate small things and unique moments, my parents and teammates, small talks before the game or our favourite songs in the dugout. That is what motivates you and you must never lose it, because with that comes everything. And even if sometimes it seems really hard to catch that fire inside, believe in yourselves. I did.
Migle