Danchak helps softball team become a Cowgirl family

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Olivia Short

Coppell junior catcher Medleigh Danchak cheers on her teammates in a game against Plano on March 8 at CISD Baseball/Softball Complex. Danchak has become an integral piece within the softball team.

Maya Palavali, Staff writer

The methodical weaving of hair strands may seem inconsequential for most, but Coppell junior catcher Medleigh Danchak believes a braid creates a helpful mindset to play softball. 

Danchak started a tradition throughout her years on the team: braiding hair.

“I always make sure my hair is [in] some kind of braid as I’m very big on the whole look good, play good thought,” Danchak said. “I end up braiding other teammates’ hair, too.”

At a young age, Danchak was involved in a variety of sports. 

 “I went to [sports] camps when I was little,” Danchak said. “In middle school, I tried everything like volleyball and basketball; I did track and even cross country in seventh grade.”

While she found most sports to be interesting, Danchak felt that something was missing.

I enjoyed playing [other sports], but I didn’t like putting the work in,” Danchak said. “I was just going to practice every day.”

Coppell junior catcher Medleigh Danchak bats against Plano on March 8 at CISD Baseball/Softball Complex. Danchak has become an integral piece within the softball team. (Olivia Short)

Determined to find her calling, Danchak knew where she belonged when she started to look forward to softball practice. 

 “I didn’t like monotonous tasks until softball,” Danchak said.  “That’s how I knew the difference between just liking the other sports. I love the whole process of it, not just the games or the fun parts.”

The more Danchak played, her excitement for the sport steadily rose. Her growing confidence soon followed.

“I hit my first [home run] in practice the day after I turned 14,” Danchak said. “When I did it in a game, it was just like a sense of relief because it showed that all the hard work paid off.”

Entering high school, Danchak put forth her best effort, even if it did not yield immediate results. She was placed on the varsity roster as a freshman.

“The first time we played together was probably last year,” Coppell senior shortstop ElleBelle Zimmerman said. “She was mostly on the bench, but we worked really well together.” 

Danchak had some familiar faces on the team her freshman year, which helped ease her mind. 

“We’ve known each other since elementary school,” Coppell senior pitcher Kat Miller said. “[We started playing together when] I was a sophomore and she was a freshman.”

 She quickly made friends with her teammates and brought the team closer together with her energetic helpfulness. 

“She’s built a lot of trust within our team, because she’s really good friends [with everyone],” Miller said. “Everyone knows that we can trust her and what she calls.”

Something special about Danchak is the position she plays. As a catcher, she has many leadership responsibilities. 

“Being a catcher, you have to [be] the head of the fields,” Miller said. “You direct everything going on and all the plays.”

Along with being a beacon for her teammates to rely on, runners have a hard time stealing bases with Danchak behind the plate.  

“She carries a presence and everybody knows [to be] afraid to run on her,” Coppell coach Ashley Minick said.  “They don’t run on her very often, and when they do, it’s really close, making them double think about sending a base runner.”

Danchak has become someone to look up to by using traits she has learned from her previous upperclassmen. 

“The upperclassmen took me under their wing and I always felt closer to them,” Danchak said. “So, I wanted to do that when I took that role.”

Her leadership can be seen by everyone around her and helps the team become better.

“She took on a leadership role and she’s running with it,” Minick said. “Because this is a team sport,we always win and lose as a team, so she always pushes to pick other people up.”

Danchak hopes to continue softball in college.

“I just want to go somewhere where I have a connection to the coaches in the team,” Danchak said. “We’re in the stage before offers, but I definitely know I want to play in the future.”

For the Cowgirls, softball has become a family thanks to Danchak.               .

“She’s such an energetic girl,” Zimmerman said. “Literally any moment that you spend with her is a blast.”

The most important aspect of softball for Danchak is the lessons she has learned from her peers.

 “I learn from each and every one of my teammates [because] they all have things that make them them,” Danchak said. “We take pieces from each other to make us the best we can.”

Follow Maya (@mvpalovalley) and @SidekickSports on Twitter.