Earning a spot on a high school sports team is difficult because of the competitive nature and limited space on the team. It’s even harder to make the team as a girl in a sport primarily played by boys, and yet, Maddie Johnson (‘26) has accomplished this feat and is on the JV Baseball team.
“I feel honored,” Johnson said. “I’m not exactly sure how I’ve made it this far. I’m honestly very surprised. I’m just glad to be part of the program.”
Before being a part of the team at AGHS, Johnson has played baseball competitively since she was nine years old. She played with her family, especially with her brother, and eventually joined a softball team, and realized it wasn’t the right fit for her.
“I tried softball, and it was fun,” Johnson said. “The team was nothing like baseball [and] being around guys. Just the way that they act, it’s very different.”
After trying out softball, Johnson returned to competitive baseball, knowing that it was better for her.
“I just didn’t like [softball] as much as baseball. So I went back to baseball […] I realized I just really loved the sport. It was completely different than anything else I’d done,” Johnson said.
The JV baseball team has 15 players; Johnson plays second base. Even though she has this position, being the only girl on a boy’s team can come with challenges.
“Guys are going to talk, they’re going to say awful things. So obviously, I’ve experienced that. You’ve just got to find the people that you really like that will stand up for you. I found those people and that’s just honestly what gets me through it,” Johnson said.
One of her friends on the team, Grady Pope (‘26) has known Johnson since 8th grade while playing on the same baseball team and has continued to support her.
“She works really hard. I know she doesn’t get much playing time. She hasn’t had that many at bats this year but she works really hard,” Pope said.
Johnson struggled being on the team at first, but with the support of her teammates, was able to continue.
“There’s one kid on the varsity team, [and] I was very close to quitting and he told me, ‘no, keep going, you’re going to make it,’ and he was just like my last boost of motivation,” Johnson said.
Being on the baseball team in high school is a challenge in itself, but being a girl on a team of only boys can be even harder. Johnson overcame this challenge, and is proof that working hard can help achieve what may seem impossible.
