Memories to Last
photo provided by Taylor Marchin
Though Marchin has a ton of memories that she would likely put in the top moments of her career, her favorite comes from her senior season. "My favorite memory is the road up to and winning state," said Marchin in an interview. "There were many new achievements that happened this year such as District Champs, our 25-3-2 recon and winning the state title. These achievements were the 'first time' ever in Cardinal Softball history. Being a part of a school's 'first time ever' is an exciting feeling… all of this occurring in my senior season made it even more rewarding as it would be my last high school season ever!"
Although it was a successful season, it didn't come without it's hard work. With the previous season canceled due to COVID-19, Marchin had to put in extra work to stay focused. "During quarantine, I continued my lessons and workouts. Fortunately, during the 2020 summer/fall season, I was playing select softball and we were able to get in most games which helped me be prepared for my senior season. With the knowledge of how quickly things shut down in the spring and the potential for getting quarantine in the 2020-21 season, this was a great part of my motivation to stay focused and perform the best I could this year. Each game could have potentially been the last."
Success, Success, Success!
photo provided by Taylor Marchin
As much as there is a huge physical component to every athlete, the mental game comes into play as well. "I had to work on my mental aspect and performance during game time activities," said Marchin. "I have been in situations where others had not believed in me and talked negatively about my performance." The recent grad drew from her memory of a time when she let her nerves "control the game" and ultimately affected the outcome for the team performance. "I had to believe in myself and learn to control my nerves. After that I had a better mental aspect which also made a huge difference in my pitching and ultimately my confidence."
However, it's not always just one person on the team. Marchin gives a lot of credit to her teammates in making the 2020-21 season a fantastic one. "Our team's success was driven from respect, communication, and learning to trust one another," said Marchin. She also gave credit to Coach Baker and Coach Rome for their ability to help the team remember that they already had the tool necessary to win state, but that they needed to take it day by day in order to keep those tools sharpened.
What's in store?
Marchin is headed off to Murray State College. "I chose Murray State College because I felt it was the right place for me to be so that I could develop and get to my highest potential to play at the D1 level. During the spring season, Coach Mullens and Coach Duff have had frequent communication and interest in our high school games. This participation has made me feel like a part of the Aggie Family already."
As an athlete who has had to overcome various injuries, Marchin wants to be a physical therapist. "I have realized how much [physical therapists] are needed in helping people back to health. I like knowing that I can potentially make a positive impact in someone's life."
