Having been involved in sports since she was a young girl, it was no wonder that Hopedale’s Katie Koller earned a starting spot on both the varsity basketball and softball teams as a freshman and has been a mainstay there ever since. Her path in both sports started with youth boys programs, transcended into AAU play and has culminated with her leading her Blue Raider varsity teams as team captain. Now as she nears the completion of her high school career, Koller reflects on her 12 year journey, the special times she has experienced and the people that have influenced her along the way.
As a young 6 year old girl, the Hopedale native got indoctrinated into basketball and baseball by her older brother Kyle. “Kyle and I would always play pick-up basketball games in our drive-way. And we would always have whiffle games in our front yard and wherever we went on vacation. Kyle would also recruit me into playing pick-up games with the local boys in the neighborhood. We would create teams, have tournaments and play for hours. Through it all, Kyle would teach me, challenge me and give me the self-assurance to be able step on the court/field every time. I owe so much to my brother for getting me started with sports.”
So when it came time to play in the local youth programs for both sports, playing with & against boys didn’t seem out of place for Katie. In fact, she says being on boy teams enabled her to develop her skills further and her confidence to play a lot quicker. “I loved the challenge of proving a girl could play at their level. I liked being a threat.” Though she would often get teased for having all-pink baseball equipment, Katie says that the boys that always had her back are the same ones she is still close with today.
Her fondest baseball memory was playing 2nd base on a championship in-town team. “During the playoffs, the other teams Pic25 would always try to bunt because they knew I would have to cover 1st base and field the throw. Needless to say their strategy never worked.” For basketball, Katie remembers beating Brain Espanet in a free-throw competition during one of the town’s summer basketball camps. Kiddingly Koller says “I still remind him of that to this day”.
In sixth grade, Katie decided to give softball a try, albeit while still playing in the Hopedale baseball program. By season’s end, she had joined a select number of past Hopedale girls who got chosen to be on both the town’s baseball and softball all-star teams. “I was thrilled and honored to be selected to represent the town on both teams.” says Koller.
By the time Katie entered Hopedale Junior/Senior High School, she had decided to play AAU softball in the Central Massachusetts Destruction program. “I wanted to learn from different coaches and get the chance to meet and play with people outside the town.
It was during her time with the CMD program that Katie got introduced to playing 3rd base “When I joined, I really didn’t have a position. It was coach (Greg) Rota who first put me at 3rd base. He always believed in my abilities and thought I would learn to love the position. He ended up being so right”. Koller says she enjoys both the physical and mental challenge the position brings. “While the position does require a strong arm and quick reaction, there is also a lot of thought that goes into playing it well. To position yourself to field a bunt, a slap hit or powerful line drive, you have to scout each batter. Using the hitter’s tendencies in combination with the game situation, I figure out where best to locate myself to make a play.” It is this aspect of the position that Koller continues to enjoy today as she plays at the varsity level.
Though her AAU softball participation would consume most of her time, Katie still loved to play basketball and continued to spend time developing her ball-handling and passing skills. This caught the eye of the girls travel and high school basketball coaches, who began to position Koller as the team’s point guard. “I love playing point guard - It’s a lot like playing 3rd base, there is a large mental component to it. The ball is always in your hands so you control the game. You have to see what is happening on the entire floor and make good, smart decisions with the ball, which is everything in basketball.”
By the time Katie entered Hopedale Jr-Senior High School as a freshman, she had logged a lot of practice and playing time at the point guard & 3rd base positions for the respective Hopedale JV basketball and softball teams. She also continued to play in competitive softball tournaments each summer with her AAU team. When varsity team tryouts came around, Koller felt ready.
“I figured that I was well-prepared to earn a spot on the basketball and softball varsity teams – I had become very confident of my abilities,” she said. “As it turned out, I ended up being the only freshman starter on both teams, but I didn’t find it intimidating at all because I had always played with the older girls. In fact, I loved playing with them.” Koller says the “older girls” taught her so much about being a team player and doing things the right way. “They would always encourage me to learn from mistakes (both mine and others) and always keep my head up. They also taught me about respect, working hard and being comfortable being yourself. The ‘older girls’ were such great role models for me and for that I will forever be grateful to Katie Rizzo, Sam Kelly, Sara Lambert, Nicole Appicella and Lea Hyland”
Fast forward to completing 3 varsity seasons and entering her fourth and final one, Katie now finds herself being “the older girl”. Having served as a two time captain for the varsity basketball team and one of this year’s softball captains, Koller is not only honored to hold the position, but looks to use it to give back.
“As a captain I’m always pushing to do better. But I can’t just focus on myself anymore, I have to help the younger girls as well,” she said. “When I was the younger girl, the older girls made me better, now it’s my turn to pay it forward.”
One of the coaches that Katie credits for always pushing her to do better and giving her the confidence to succeed was Greg Rota, her AAU softball coach. According to Koller, Rota not only gave her the skills to be successful, he made sure the girls were having fun, but being serious in a balanced way. While the AAU Coach appreciates the kind words from one of his athletes, he made note that it was not all him.
“Katie has always been a leader, especially by example. If things are going bad on the field, she doesn’t hesitate to call a time out and talk to the team to calm the situation down before it gets out of hand and we find ourselves on the wrong end of the score,” Rota said. “As good a leader as she is it all goes back to her parents and the way she was brought up. They’re the ones that instilled those leadership skills she’s using today.”
Koller also gives a lot of credit to her varsity coaches Rob Evans (basketball) and Shanna Lathrop (softball) who both recognized her skills and knew how to best use them for the betterment of their respective teams. “Both coaches have had such positive influences on me during my time playing varsity sports in Hopedale.” says Koller.
Now as Katie completes her senior softball season, she thinks about the impact playing sports has had on her: “While getting the chance to play sports is special, getting to play it at high-level with players and coaches you love and admire has made it extra special for me. The winning and losing isn’t as important as the friendships I have made and the life lessons I have learned. As I leave high school and continue onto college, I will take the three building blocks that my time in sports has given me: structure, values and confidence.”
When the season does finally come to an end, the Hopedale athlete will turn her focus to college, where she will attend the University of New Hampshire to major in Bio-Medical Science. Although academics is her top priority, she is leaving open the possibility of participating in college athletics.
Issue Date:
June, 2017
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