It was softball that brought her parents together, so it was inevitable that Amelia Wiercioch would grow up around the diamond. Beginning at a young age, she attended her dad’s games each week, and when she was 5 years old she gave it a try for herself.
“Once I started it, I really fell in love with the sport,” says Wiercioch.
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Softball continued to be a family affair as Wiercioch’s father spent several years coaching his daughter, while her mother often served as the “team mom.” Now a junior and varsity pitcher for Rosary Academy, Wiercioch’s parents still make it a priority to attend each of her games to cheer her on.
“I appreciate them working together so they can help me become the best player that I can be,” says the 15-year-old of her two biggest role models.
Her love for the unpredictability of the game is what keeps Wiercioch’s interest, and she pulls motivation for her pivotal role on the mound from her motto: “Pitch as many outs as you can, in as little pitches as you can.”
“I feel like I can give my best to help my team the most as a pitcher,” says Wiercioch. “I really like how much I can contribute to the game.”
Her standout play this year resulted in Wiercioch being named second team All-Trinity League, as well as receiving Rosary’s “Royal Award,” which is given to the team’s most valuable player for the season.
“Amelia is one of the top students at Rosary, and she uses her intellectual prowess to study ways to make herself a more effective pitcher and a more successful batter,” says Rosary’s varsity softball head coach Tom Tice. “More importantly, she is always smiling, reminding us all that the joy of playing the game is its most important element.”
Wiercioch’s joy and enthusiasm is evident off the field as well as she serves her campus as a Rosary Ambassador, visiting different elementary and middle schools to share her passion for being a Royal.
Additionally, she appreciates the role faith plays in being a student athlete at Rosary, citing the community and sisterhood that result from sharing that connection.
“I think it gives us that sense of confidence and motivation that we need to play our best,” says Wiercioch.
As she looks ahead to college, the Santa Ana resident has a strong interest in forensic psychology and criminology, but would also like to continue to play softball competitively. The game has given her great insight on how to not sweat the small stuff.
“One of the biggest life lessons that I’ve learned from playing softball is to control the things that you can control and don’t let the things that you can’t control affect you,” says Wiercioch. “Being a pitcher, that phrase really motivates me to do my best.”