Junior Olympic Softball 2025

2025 Jeff Marshall Scholarship Award Winner

Olivia Thomas

2025 olivia thomas check award MAYSA Raptors
Ellsworth Eagles
Sluggers Elite

Saint Joseph's College Nursing

I have grown up playing with USA softball and it has influenced my life in ways that no other league has.. As far back as I can really remember, my summers have always been filled with tournaments, playing in the sweltering heat or amid rainstorms all day long. And while sometimes the hectic pace of it all could get tiring, those days are filled with my favorite memories. Playing with USA softball has brought me friendships, kept me active, taught me lifeskills, gave me confidence, and overall has given me something to look forward to each summer. To me, these summers were always more special than any other sports season.

One of my favorite parts of playing with USA Softball is the community it fosters. I started playing travel ball when I was eight years old. At this time I was fairly shy and reserved, however, joining a travel team had helped me to break out of my shell and meet people I never would have met regularly. I made lasting friendships from each team I have played on, and I will always be grateful for that. Still, as I have moved on to other teams, my friendships with old teammates last, even though many are now my opponents. Playing travel ball in elementary helped me to meet and become friends with girls I would go on to play high school ball with, and now has helped me meet girls I will go on to play college ball with.

Another one of the benefits of playing with USA softball is that it has taught me important life skills that I will always carry with me. I have learned discipline, hardwork, sportsmanship, communication skills, teamwork, composure through pressure, and so much more. Being one of the captains of my current travel team, the 18U Sluggers Elite, I have developed leadership skills that I had always struggled with in the past. In sports and in school, I have always struggled with speaking up and voicing my opinion. However, being put in this leadership position has forced me out of my comfort zone, and encouraged me to grow in ways that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Additionally, playing for USA softball has helped me grow confidence and trust in myself in ways that other leagues haven't. I remember specifically one moment from when I had just finished pitching a championship game. The home plate umpire, Jeff Marshall, had come over to me to tell me that he had umpired for many years and that he thought I was a special pitcher. As a younger girl, this moment was very memorable for me, as instilled confidence in who I was and what I could do. Even as I have grown, and no longer pitch very often, the empowerment of these words has always stuck with me. Throughout my experience with USA Softball, I have had many positive experiences and fun interactions with coaches and umpires, but I thought this memory was fitting given that this is the Jeff Marshall Scholarship. Overall, my experience with USA Softball has impacted me in various ways that will stick with me for the rest of my life.