MORE THAN JUST A GAME

Long before the lawn chairs are set up and the spectators arrive, the Barrington Fillies 9U softball team takes the field for yet another practice, ready to conquer a new set of physical and mental drills and skills specifically designed to prepare them for the big game.

And waiting for them is their coach, Lisa Bauman.

“They all want to pitch,” laughs Bauman, who currently serves as the coach of the first full-time 9U softball team in Barrington. Before the season is over, this Barrington Fillies 9U softball team made up of 12 girls 9 and under will have played approximately 40 games. Having coached most of these talented girls for the past three years, Bauman says she feels so very blessed to have had the chance to watch as they have progressed both physically and mentally.

One of those talented girls is Reese Poley.

“When I grow up, I want to be a shortstop,” explains the 8-year-old with an enthusiasm that can only be heard in the voice of a third grader. “I love batting and I love when the ball is hit right by me in the field.”

Reese’s mom, Jenean Poley, says she always knew her daughter was athletic, so when Reese turned 5, Jenean encouraged her to try softball. And while that season was short-lived due to the ongoing pandemic, her daughter’s love of the game never wavered.

“Every opportunity she had, Reese was catching a ball or throwing a ball against a wall or hitting it off of a tee,” Jenean fondly remembers of her hard-working daughter who attends Arnet C. Lines Elementary School in Barrington. “She constantly wanted to play catch with me, so we were like, ‘Alright, I think this is her sport.’”

And through this sport, Reese has also found herself surrounded by a tremendous group of friends. “My best friend is on the team,” gushes Reese, who is equally excited that she will be wearing the number of her favorite baseball player, San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. on her softball jersey this season. “I love getting to hang out with my friends.”

“I’ve made great friends on this team too,” adds Harper Donahue who loves to play positions such as catcher and shortstop. “When they are up at the plate, I love cheering on my teammates, so they don’t think negatively. I know they can do it.”

These precious experiences of friendship and teamwork mirror Bauman’s own childhood, one spent playing softball with her friends in her hometown just outside Boston.

“My dad was a big baseball fan who happened to have three daughters who grew up playing softball,” recalls Bauman, who cheers on the collective team alongside her assistant coaches Karen Devich, Dante Rondelli, and Dana Cavaliero. “I never ended up playing in college, so getting the chance to coach now is like going back to Disney World with your own kids for the first time. It’s even more fun than when you did it as a kid yourself.”

And while those “two outs with the bases loaded moments” are exhilarating for Bauman, her assistant coaches, and the many parent volunteer coaches, Bauman is appreciative of the quieter teaching moments the sport provides.

“I’m always trying to tell the girls that, as women, nobody’s ever been successful in a vacuum,” states Bauman. “It’s all about having a group of people behind us supporting us and lifting us up. There’s a lot of life lessons tied into not just softball, but any athletics.”

Bauman is now able to share these life lessons with her daughter Blair, who is also a proud member of the Barrington Fillies 9U softball team. “Softball has taught me that no matter how many challenges there are, to always keep trying and to never give up,” states Blair Bauman. “It’s all about following your dreams.”

Reese’s mother Jenean has also seen this positive experience play out in the eyes of her daughter in a multitude of ways.

“This game has taught Reese so much about leadership and hard work and commitment and teamwork,” she explains. “But I also think it teaches them how to win and how to lose. (Pauses.) It’s a life lesson, that’s for sure.”

Some of these life lessons are tougher to learn than others. “When I step up to bat, I think about my grandpa,” remarks Donahue. “I wish he were still here to watch me play hard.”

But make no mistake – one must never forget to have fun.

“This team doesn’t just focus on the games that they’re winning or they’re losing,” states Coach Bauman. “At this age, it’s more about having a good time and and having an overall positive experience by making sure that the girls are lifting each other up and encouraging each other.”

For more information on Barrington Youth Baseball and Softball, travel info, and all house recreational league info, please visit www.BYBS.net.