RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Bella Smithson is a 2024 grad who plays for the PA Ball Hawks travel organization as a catcher/third baseman and has impressed on the field with her skills and in the classroom with her 4.2 GPA.
The high schooler’s softball team at Warwick High in Lititz, Pennsylvania kicked off the season this week with a scrimmage and Bella had an impressive game at the plate and behind it:
First scrimmage of the season and I went 3 for 3 with a triple and 2 doubles! Threw 3 runners out at 2nd and got a few clips along the way. Can’t wait for the first league game! @Coach_JBloomer @CoachHerm @CoachKvilhaug @ExtraInningSB @mikeruechel @Coach_LaPorte pic.twitter.com/zzG4ZN9K5I
— Bella Smithson (@bella_smithson4) March 15, 2022
Her journey to get to where she is today, however, has been anything but easy as she’s had to deal with tough circumstances in her personal life more than once but her story of perseverance is inspiring.
Here is Bella’s story in her own words…
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I was subject to abuse at a very young age and was in the foster care system by the third grade. There was no sports and no family, with the exception being my sister. Overall, there was no love… it was, I felt, a meaningless life.
At the age of eight, though, I was lucky enough to be adopted by two loving parents and this was when I was first introduced to softball.
Suffering with health issues at that time, sports was tough for me… at first. I was not “petite” and certainly not small as I was standing a head taller than everyone else… which did not help my case!
I was told many times that I would not be successful because of the lingering trauma of my previous life and that “I was not like the other kids my age.” Although I was behind in school because of my prior education, I was able to use softball to release stress.
And, as I often tell people, anything is possible.
I quickly became adjusted to my new life and overcame the odds. I hit the gym as well as the books and, before I knew it, I became a part of the honor roll and saw success in softball.
However, at the young age of 10, I had to face yet another hardship as my new family moved away from everything that I had come to know, but that didn’t stop me. At my new school, I began to excel academically and athletically through a lot of hard work, determination, courage, and the will to be something better.
At first, I had to play on a 12U team at the young age of 10 and, although it was intimidating for me, I quickly acclimated to the increased pace of softball at that level and would continue to play up in the years that followed.
Today, I’m 15 and play on the PA Ball Hawks 18U Elite team. I started my freshman year in 2021 at third base and was able to bat .400 with a 1.114 OPS. Last Summer, at 16u Nationals in Ocean City, Maryland, I was named the Offensive MVP of the tournament and was also nominated for a few All-American teams for Softball Factory. In the Fall season I finished with a .482 batting average.
Last year, I used my freshman experience as a learning point to get better and continue to challenge myself with my school workload while going to the gym five to six times a week and work hard to find time to fit softball, school, and work into my busy schedule.
I believe that everyone has hardships in their lives, and we forge our own paths although we may attack it differently. I do not believe I’m special, but do appreciate at how far I’ve been able to come from my difficult beginnings.
I wanted to share my story to let other athletes in a tough situation know that nothing lasts forever and that anyone, like me, can “beat the odds.”
— Bella Smithson, Class of 2024