If you’re tuning in to the Women’s College World Series, there’s a chance you’ll see an interesting routine or two, whether it’s a pitcher in the circle or a batter getting set at the plate.
Texas senior catcher Reese Atwood garnered attention early in the year for her routine. Throughout much of the season, broadcasts would zero in on Atwood’s face during her at-bats, and you could see her lips moving in practically constant fashion, even as opposing pitchers started their wind-up.
Last year, Atwood was hitless in the World Series until Game 1 of the championship series, when, as Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady attempted to intentionally walk her with two outs and two runners on, Atwood took a step out of the batter’s box, took a deep breath and ripped a single through the left side of the infield on what was supposed to be ball four. The two runs that scored proved to be the difference as Texas won the game 2-1 on its way to the program’s first national championship.
How did she calm her heart rate, erase the past and bring herself to the present moment? Let’s find out.
Broadcasts throughout the season have shown you talking to yourself while you’re in the batter’s box. What exactly are you saying to yourself in those moments, and how did you get to that?
A lot of times I’m honestly just saying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” or I’m talking to myself in the sense of that’s like nothing to do with softball. My mental approach when I’m going through that is more of taking my mind off the game and trying to be present in those moments.
I’ve learned that some people can game plan and think about a pitch that’s coming, or think about certain things in their swing. For me, I just want to trust my preparation and know that I am fully confident that I am prepared for that moment. So, instead of thinking of what I can do better … I like to think of something that has zero relation, so I can just go up there and trust all the hard work I put in fully.
You mentioned saying a prayer as part of your self-talk. I saw a video on social media of some of the team talking about how you get together for faith gatherings. How much of a common thread is that for this team? More and more athletes, even just here at the WCWS, are open to talking about God when it comes to their approach to playing. What does that mean to you?
My faith is huge. Coming into Texas and just being able to surround myself with similar people has been really huge for my career. I’m not one to believe that God wants me to hit a home run in those moments. I like to think that in those moments, God wants me to be present and use this platform to spread my faith to others, and just showing the strength of being an athlete who is still involved in faith and (being) just a strong woman in general.
In the moments when there is a lot of pressure, or let’s say if you’re struggling in a game, is there a certain teammate that you lean on? Or is there something that somebody says to you that usually gets you back in the right frame of mind?
I think definitely Teagan (Kavan), my best friend, and then even my roommates, Vivi (Martinez) and Citlaly (Gutierrez), are huge people in my game that I go to, and they always offer great advice, and say things like being present and just trusting the process, trusting your preparation, and not worrying about stats or anything like that. Just being there for the team and nothing else.
Mental health is becoming a more popular conversation. When you’re on such a big stage for softball as it continues to rise in popularity, how do you prioritize that kind of preparation over all of the outside noise?
At this level, that preparation is bigger than any other physical preparation. I mean, every single team here in the World Series, every single team in the SEC, and all the other schools are just incredible and have all the physical attributes to be able to win national championships and win games. So the separator is your mental preparation, and just your ability to overcome pressure, overcome situations that require a lot of mental toughness.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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