Gregg Schindler female Athlete of the Month - Sydney Fowler: There’s No Place Like Home! By Sofia Chianella Softball runs in the family for J.W. Mitchell High School junior Sydney Fowler. The game of trying to get the most hits when up to bat, get the most outs when in the field, and running the bases all the way home as fast as you can, isn’t just a sport to Fowler. It has an emotional connection to her based on her mother’s experience in the sport, who passed away her freshman year. This tragedy in Fowler’s life has not stopped her from being on the varsity softball team for 3 years and now leading the team as captain. “There was a major struggle in my life with a family issue with my mother passing my freshman year of high school. It sucks knowing that she can’t come to any of my high school games and watch me play. My mom keeps me motivated because I know it is something that she would want me to keep doing to make her proud,” Fowler said. Keeping the sport in the family, Fowler’s older sister contributed to her love of softball for over a decade. “My mom started playing in high school, but mainly my sister Jordan Fowler who played at Mitchell as well in 2010-2014. [She] also went to college to play,
which led me to play softball my whole life. I was constantly around the environment, either going to her games and watching her,” Fowler said. Playing softball since 4 years old allowed Fowler to improve year by year, in all different aspects of the quick paced game. “My strengths in this sport is definitely pitching right now, with how I spin my ball the correct way with movement. Another strength is hitting with putting my bat on the ball and scoring a lot of runs for my team in big innings,” Fowler said. As a leader of the team, Fowler knows what she has to personally improve on to help her team as a whole, not just for herself. “A weakness in my sport is being too quiet. I feel like as captain and a leader on the team I need to be more vocal and get everyone in the game and cheer them on in the dugout and on the field,” Fowler said. Fowler described her relationship with her coach Scott Bisbe (FAC) as outgoing.This allowed her to talk openly with Bisbe on subjects that were important to her improvement in the game. “Being on varsity softball for 3 years and now captain shows how long I have come to get this position from him. We communicate a lot with any events that
On March 26, Sydney Fowler (’22) pitches to the Cypress Creek batter. Folwer led the team to a 10-0 victory. Photo by Tom Mewborn happen that the team needs to know, especially uniforms and roles we have as a team. Especially the other coaches, we all talk about things and they all help out to make me a better athlete,” Fowler said. The feeling Fowler has about her head coach is mutual, as he describes her as a great teammate and a leader on and off the field. “Sydney Fowler is an excellent athlete and a strong softball player. She is a student of the game
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that does not have to think about a situation before reacting to it on the field. She is one of our top pitchers and can play third base, second base as well as shortstop. Sydney is also a smart base runner,” Coach Bisbe said. Overcoming the tragic experience of her mother passing has not stopped Fowler from succeeding in the game of softball, as she receives positive feedback from her head coach and now leads her team as captain.
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