The softball team has recently stepped up to the plate to spread mental health awareness. The team played at home against Springbrook, and held a fundraiser for The Hidden Opponent on Thursday, May 2.

The Hidden Opponent is a non-profit organization that raises awareness for mental health, particularly in sports. Sophomore shortstop Addie Strbak first contacted the organization to ask about doing a fundraiser with the team.

“I came across [The Hidden Opponent] on Instagram and I followed them, and they post motivational stuff, which helps me with my mental health. And I’m looking at it and I’m like ‘oh, this would be cool if I could reach out to them and see if they’d be interested in doing something with the [softball] team. So I reached out to them and found the email of the person who runs the organization, and I emailed her and we planned it out,” Strbak said.

The fundraiser included having a brief ceremony before the game. Both teams lined up along the third and first baselines, while Strbak gave a speech on The Hidden Opponent. As part of the fundraiser, the WJ softball team wore green ribbons in their hair throughout the game.

The fundraiser was also meaningful to the players, as both Springbrook and WJ participated in the pre-game ceremony.

“When I reached out to the Springbrook players to let them know we would be lining up soon, they were all really excited which is a great feeling. After my speech, several girls from the other team came up to me and told me how much my speech really helped them and how much it meant to them. And that touched my heart because I knew it was really important for me, and it was great to see that I helped other people as well,” Strbak said.

Head coach Richard Carter was proud of his players for the fundraiser, and afterward, he praised them for their leadership off the field, in addition to on.

“It was a proud moment to see them grow into leaders. They all are great athletes, but the moment they start to realize it’s more than just the sport itself, it’s good to see them grow into those kinds of leaders,” Carter said.

Many student-athletes struggle with mental health, both in sports and with other aspects of high school. Sports can also carry lots of pressure to perform at a high level, sometimes causing stress and anxiety.

“Mental health is one of the biggest struggles within the game. Beyond the physical part of the game, mental health does affect the game beyond your skill. You get in your head — it jeopardizes the team more than anything else,” senior infielder Carly Gilder said.

Mental health is an important issue in all aspects of life. Although there have been recent efforts of awareness in today’s society, mental health can still be a very sore topic for people to talk about.

“There’s such a bad stigma around talking about mental health, and I know it’s a real issue that people don’t like talking about. But I totally think it’s, especially for student-athletes, just as important as physical health. I know a lot of athletes are really scared to talk about their mental health, but everyone does struggle with mental health,” Strbak said.