Hopewell High School Senior Softball Captain- Bella Katkich, sat down with Hopewell Sports Nation as her final regular season game came to an end!

Eleven years into the game, she still remembers the first time she picked up a glove at age seven. “I fell in love instantly,” she admits, eyes lighting up. “It wasn’t just the sport itself, but playing alongside my friends—sharing that excitement every weekend. Plus, I’ve always wanted to be like my dad, who played baseball, and my mom, who was a pitcher in high school.”

That same spark still ignites inside her, especially when she recalls her freshman-year home run against rival CV High. “I rounded third and heard the crowd erupt—my teammates, the coaches, even parents who barely knew me. I’ll never forget that feeling, like everyone was proud of me in that one moment.” It was a turning point, she says, not only for her stats but for her self-belief.

Off the field, Bella’s growth has been just as dramatic. “Early on, I struggled to juggle academics with practices and tournaments,” she laughs. “But over the years, I got better grades and climbed in class rank. Softball taught me time management—focusing on drills with Coach Ronda translated into focusing on calculus.” That disciplined mindset paid dividends when she encountered the toughest opponent yet: her own nerves. “Batting anxiety used to eat me alive. I’d press so hard to get a hit that I’d choke. Conquering that mental block was a challenge, but it made me mentally tougher. Now, I can block out the noise and just swing.”

Behind every late-night practice and early-morning lift, Bella’s biggest fan has been her mother. “Mom’s driven me to every out-of-town tournament, covered hotel expenses, and never missed a single game,” Bella says, smiling warmly. “I wouldn’t be here without her.”

As a senior and team captain, Bella carries more than just a bat—it’s a mantle of leadership. “I want the underclassmen to see that softball is more than stats. It’s about teamwork and having fun, even when things get tough.” She’s been intentional about guiding younger players, from demonstrating the proper footwork on a pop fly to reminding them that mistakes are simply lessons in disguise.

This season feels different to her. “Maybe it’s the countdown to graduation or the confidence I’ve built over the years, but everything clicks in a new way.” There’s one game in particular that still makes her grin: the upset over Ellwood. “We celebrated so hard on the bus ride home—singing, dancing. It reminded me why I love this team.”

With her final games fast approaching, Bella’s routine is part meditation, part muscle memory. “I visualize every possible scenario—fielding a hot one-hopper, driving an outside pitch. Then I stretch thoroughly and take extra tee swings to lock in my swing plane.” When the season ends, she hopes her legacy will be clear: “Softball is a game. You’ll make errors—that’s guaranteed—but those mistakes fuel your growth. I want underclassmen to embrace them, not fear them.”

Next up is travel ball this summer—likely her last competitive season—before heading to Duquesne University, where she aims to join the club team. “I’ll always have softball in my heart,” she reflects. “Even if I’m not on the field, I’ll watch every WCWS, every college game, reliving these memories.”

If she could offer advice to a wide-eyed seven-year-old Bella, she’d tell her to lighten up. “I used to obsess over my batting average and beat myself up over every error. I’d say, ‘Relax, kid—have fun!’ Because loving the game is why you started in the first place.”

When pressed on the fun side of things, Bella confesses she’s never had an official walk-up song but would pick an upbeat rap track to get her blood pumping. And the team’s humor? “We’re all comedians,” she says with a grin. “Whenever we gather, someone’s always cracking us up.” As for a theme song, she can’t settle on one—“something silly, though. That’s our vibe.”

Like many superstitious athletes, Bella believes how she styles her ponytail foretells her performance, and she never steps on the field without her lucky necklace. Dreaming bigger, she fantasizes about stepping into Oklahoma’s new stadium—“packed stands, electric energy. I can almost feel it.” And if she could invite a celebrity to cheer her on, she wouldn’t pick a movie star or pop icon, but softball phenom Montana Fouts. “Watching her dominate the WCWS was inspiring. Having her in the stands would be surreal.”

As practice winds down and the sky deepens to dusk, Bella gathers her gear and looks out across the diamond one last time. “No matter where I go next, this field, these teammates, this game—they’re part of me forever.” She tucks that love—and the lessons of focus, resilience, and fun—into her bag, ready for the next chapter, on or off the diamond.

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