Emma Daniels, a 2019 graduate from WHB, has made an impact on many young athletes who play softball.

Just two years ago, Emma was here at WHB playing softball and eventually got the chance to coach a kids softball summer camp. By being able to help kids and finding her passion for softball, Emma believes playing softball at WHB was one of her best experiences.

Playing softball inspired her coaching. She said, “Playing softball in high school was a lot of fun. I was captain my junior year so that got me started with having a leadership role and it got me thinking about coaching after I was done playing. Coach Doroski made me fall in love with the game all over again by making practices more fun.”

However, her biggest impact wasn’t with playing.  She said, “My biggest impact definitely came through coaching, however, while I was playing, I wanted to be the best version of myself so that the younger players could look up to a good example.”

Coach Doroski, who coached Emma at WHB, said, “Having Emma was a pleasure. She was a hard worker, a great teammate and someone who was very coachable and worked hard to make herself a better player every day.”

He remembered her as “the epitome of a team player. She always supported her teammates, she was always there to pick someone up if they had a bad play, had a bad at bat, or was just having a bad day. She was always willing to do our scorebook, help set up equipment for practice/games or carry out equipment to/from the bus at away games. She never had to be asked, she just did it and led by example.”

Her outstanding work on the field provided her with an opportunity to coach.  Doroski chose Emma to coach the summer camp because of her work ethic and love of the game.  He said, “Emma’s willingness to work hard, communicate positively with her teammates and her genuine love and passion for the game of softball is what helped me decide. With these attributes I knew that, if she was willing, that she would be a great help for our summer league softball team. She is a great role model for the young girls she has helped to coach and in my 25 years of coaching she is a student/athlete that I am fortunate to have crossed paths with and had the opportunity to coach.”

He continued, ”Emma did a great job working with our young girls while she was coaching the summer team. She understood my expectations for our players in the WHB softball program, she knew how I liked things to be run and executed. She was able to build a great rapport with the girls and give them a positive experience playing summer league football.”

Although Emma is not playing a sport in college, she is still passionate about softball. Instead, she says, “I work in athletics and am part of the athletics communications student staff and work in the athletic training center.“

“I definitely miss playing softball in high school – those were definitely some of the best years of my life and would give anything to have the opportunity to play the sport again.”

Emma strived to be the best she could be during her time here at WHB, and it paid off. She clearly made an impact on many kids, while playing a sport she’s very passionate about.