Batter up!

I never played baseball growing up. No Tee Ball, Little League, nothing. The closest I ever came to stepping in the batter's box was Whiffle Ball in the neighbor's backyard. So, when I was approached about joining a slow-pitch softball team, I needed some assurance on one issue.

"How competitive is this team you're putting together?"

Now, don't get me wrong. I get a bit competitive at times. There's the running thing. I like to win at Rummy. During a recent game of Spoons with a bunch of college girls, I was out for blood. (But guess who won? They didn't seem thrilled.)

However, I had never played softball before. Sure, I'd give 110 percent, but I also wanted to have fun in a no-pressure environment.

As a confidence builder, LaCosta's husband and I hit some balls around one Tuesday evening before volleyball. I hit the ball often and hard enough to prove to myself I wouldn't make a complete fool of myself when the season started. Our team played two games at Cody's Circle C Days in May, where my play received comments such as, "You're not so bad for never having played ball before." I took the compliment, even if it had a qualifier.

Most of the guys on my team indeed played high school baseball. Plus, they're all from the same area and know one another fairly well. I'm definitely the outlier (in more ways than one, let me tell ya). They arrive at the diamond in their cleats and baseball pants; I'm there with sneakers and shorts. I've felt like I've had to earn my keep on the team, whether that's logical or not. It's me applying the pressure for sure; there are certain activities I feel I should be good at. Softball is one of them.

I am happy to report that three weeks into the season I am by far not the worst one on the team. During the first week, I played right field, which, because most of the hitters are right-handed, is a virtual no-man's land. Thankfully, no fly balls were hit my way; I had trouble keeping my eye on the balls hit to other parts of the outfield.

The next week, I played second base, and that's where I started to earn my keep. Granted, second base is the right-field version of the infield, but a couple grounders came my way. I even threw a zinger over to the first baseman to get an out. (The guys liked that one. High five!)

And last week I played catcher. I was actually pretty excited about this. I was warned not to stand directly in the baseline if there was a play at the plate to avoid getting run over. Ummm... Aren't catchers supposed to do just the opposite? The point is to prevent the opponent from scoring, right? I'm tough. I have wrestled calves, I'll have you know.

In the end, I did make a couple outs, but, alas, I didn't have one chance to throw-out a home-advancing runner. Oh well. The bigger news last week is I got on base five out of the seven times I was up, including smashing the ball over an outfielder's head, who had played in too close. That's what you get for underestimating me!

Softball is fun, but a couple things do bother me. Because most of the guys have "played ball," it's like there are 10 coaches on the team. I'd actually be okay with taking instruction if the most vocal of teammates were a bit more consistent with their play. Seriously, don't coach me if you're 0-for-6, 'kay?

Then there's the assumption I know knowing about softball because I never played organized baseball growing up. This isn't a new phenomenon either; over the years, many people have assumed I know absolutely nothing about sports. I'm not sure where that comes from.

Two weeks ago, while playing second base, there were two instances where there was a runner on first with less than two outs. That means, there's a force play at second with a chance to turn a double play. I know that. So, I don't need the shortstop to remind me three times. Thanks for the hint though!

And the racial makeup of the teams is interesting. As it was explained to me, there are "white" teams and "Indian" teams. A quick look at the opposing dugout over the past three weeks supports this. As one of the games finished, one of my teammates waited until all of an Indian team's players were gone from our soon-to-be dugout prior to unloading his gear because he "didn't want anything stolen." Pure ignorance. It's startling and plain weird to be in a situation where race is an issue when it hasn't been for me in the time I've lived in Mission. Then again, we play down in Valentine, the "white" town just across the state line.

But it's all in good fun. As far as social activities in the area go, this is a biggie. And my confidence is high after last week's play, especially considering I had run a marathon two days prior. I had better stick to running though. Softball is not a workout by any stretch of the imagination.