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As a 14-year-old there are a lot of things that Tara Tarnowski can’t do. She can’t vote, she can’t drive a car and she can’t buy a lottery ticket.
But one thing she can do is pitch a softball and she does that as well as any 14-year-old in the country.
Tarnowski is a rising star in the game of softball and has her eyes focused on a career in the sport. A passion she developed at an early age.
“I started at my local league at around 4 years old, and I knew right away that was the sport that I wanted to play. I loved it, and then 10 years later, getting to know that I play on one of the best teams in the whole nation is just amazing, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
She was 9 years old when she first stepped into a pitching circle, and she hasn’t left since.
“I just love that I get to control the game at my pace, and it really helps me get to know my teammates better because I know that they’ll be there to back me up. And I just like having control of the game because if I’m having a bad game or if I’m having a really good game, I can just control the pace of it and take my time.”
Her work and skill development has produced positive results in the past year both in terms of her own personal growth and the opportunities that she has been afforded.
In the fall the Cypress, Texas native joined one of the top club organizations in the country in Impact Gold.
“I ended up joining in the fall and it’s been great being surrounded by all the players that have the same goals as me. And everybody on our team has big goals for the future and we’re all there to win and play in the most competitive brackets. And we’re just there to push each other and have fun.”
Her Impact Gold 2k9 team is loaded with talent and Tarnowski is thriving in that environment.
“Being surrounded by great players helps with everything. But we love to push each other, and we will always pick each other up. And we know that we’ll be there for each other. And I know that the whole team is putting in extra work every single day. Nobody wants to let the team down. So, it’s great knowing that we’re all working towards the same thing.”
One of her teammates is Macie Bryant who was the top-ranked player in the Extra Inning Softball Extra Elite 100 for the Class of 2027.
“Macie is a good friend and it’s cool being on the team with her because she is getting to experience things that I would like to experience too. So just her feedback coming back from playing for the U-15 Women’s National Team is really cool because she just talks about how fun it was and what a great experience it was. And that just makes me want to do the same thing as her because I would like to experience that also.”
Tarnowski had already begun pursuit of chasing the dream of playing for the USA Women’s National Team and hearing from Bryant has only heightened that mission.
“Just getting to know that she can do it makes me more confident in the fact that I know that I can do it. But her talking about it just makes me want to do it even more.”
And Tarnowski is putting in all the necessary work, and taking the steps, in pursuit of that goal.
In late November of last year, Tarnowski took another step when she was invited to attend the USA Softball High Performance Program (HPP) National Selection Event in Vero Beach, Fla.
“It was really cool because I got to have fun and compete against all the best players in the nation, and I got to experience it with some of my teammates. I love getting to meet new people calling them my teammates and I look forward to attending it this year again too.”
By the time Tarnowski had departed Florida she had played well enough to be named a top performer for her age group.
“That was really exciting because it was cool that I got to know that all of my hard work was paying off.”
Back in Texas, Tarnowski is currently playing for the Impact Gold Spring Team in preparation for the summer season.
“My goals for this summer are to have a really big impact on the team’s success because I want people to know that I am a hardworking player. And I also look forward to attending the biggest tournaments in the nation and getting far into them and ultimately winning it.”
She recently touched 67 miles per hour on the radar gun and feels her pitching is rounding into shape.
“It’s pretty good so far. Obviously getting back to it after a little bit of a break is hard, but after the first game or so, really everything goes back to normal, and I just like to go with the flow.”
Another item on the radar for Tarnowski is recruiting as she has begun drawing interest from some of the top programs in the country.
“It’s really cool because it shows me that they’re actually interested in what I have to show and it’s just great that they’re interested.”
Playing for the Impact Gold team has helped garner attention.
“I’m still learning how recruiting works as I get older, but this past fall was the first time that I saw colleges at my games, so that made me really excited. I really like to play the game how I know how to and just know that my teammates will help me through it all.”
While new to recruiting, Tarnowski has no plans to let the recruiting process overwhelm her.
“The process definitely can be overwhelming. I like to tell myself to play how I know how to play and not let the process take over. Because it’s always good to have an open mindset and whenever it starts to be overwhelming, I just like to take a deep breath. And I’m happy to have my coaches to help with any questions that I have.”
She is confident that it won’t overwhelm her because of the support and guidance from her parents.
“My parents have really helped me set most of my goals. They really pushed me to set high goals and really work for them. And they’re always the ones behind the scenes that are always pushing me to get better and be the best player that I could possibly be.”
Goals that ultimately may result in her wearing the red, white and blue for Team USA.
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