For Dakota Villella, junior education major, softball is one of the biggest parts of her life and has helped mold her into the person she is today.
Villella, a Hollywood, Florida, native, attended American Heritage High School, where she played softball for four years and soccer for three. During her senior season at American Heritage, Villella was named First-Team All County for both the Sun Sentinel and the Miami Herald.
Last season, Villella played second base for the Sharks and was a starter in all 45 games for the season. Villella scored 19 runs and stole seven bases on eight attempts, ranking second on the team in both categories.
I got the chance to sit down with Villella and ask her a few questions about herself.
How did you get started in softball?
“My whole family is an athletic family; we all love sports. My older sister use to play [softball], so it all kind of started out with her. My twin sister and I followed her and ended up playing together.”
What do you think is the most difficult aspect of softball?
“It’s how you handle everything. Softball is more of a game of failure. Not everything will go as planned, and you have to anticipate and think through the game, and that’s when you’ll be most successful. You need to understand the game and give it the respect it deserves. But I think it’s just how you handle it, and in return I think that’s what has really made me who I am as a player.”
Are there any specific tools that you use to motivate yourself to handle those failures?
“I’ve grown up a lot from when I started playing, and I think you just learn to take those failures as they happen. No one thinks you meant to make a mistake. But how others see your reaction when you make a mistake, if you can still make the out, or get a hit, then that shows more than the actual mistake. It’s all about how you respond and how you rebound from it. So I think that’s really my motivation.”
Do you have any coaches who have influenced you during your softball career?
“I’ve had a lot of coaches, and as a player in the game, you try to get as much as you can from them. It can be reversed too. They’re trying to grow as a coach, and we try to grow as athletes. Everyone comes from different places, and they learn different things, and everything is taught differently, but it all has the same outcome. Like our new coach now; she has so much passion. Both of them actually, Coach Jonas and Coach LeMaire, they both have so much passion and high expectations, even more than we thought was possible. They really want to push us to exceed those expectations. But I think every coach I’ve had has molded me to the person I am and the player I am.”
Does the softball team have any rituals they perform before or after games?
“We just played in our double header, and we have a cheer called ‘Boom Chicka Boom Boom,’ and we do that before every game. We got in a circle, and I was the leader, so I had to make a dance, and then everyone else follows, which I think is going to be really cool. It looks cool, but it’s still new. Team-wise, were still growing and going through a new transition. Personally, I don’t have any superstitions, but I think the team ones will be fun.”
What has been the most rewarding part of playing softball for you?
“There are a lot of rewarding factors. It keeps you humble and grateful. We take a lot of things for granted, especially now with everything going on in the world. Just being able to play a sport that you love puts a lot into perspective. It reminds you to just have fun, love the sport and don’t take anything for granted. It keeps everything in perspective for me. I think that’s why I love playing and why it’s more than just a game to me.”
Do you plan to continue playing softball after college?
“If I’m not playing the sport, I’d like to give back and coach. I have little cousins who are seven and eight, and I want to make them better than I am. But I’d like to give back if I’m not playing after college, which I really don’t want to see that day come, but I know it’s coming soon.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF K. SMITH
