I just feel like it gets harder and harder every year with Ace getting older and time away from my husband and even family events such as birthdays and friends' weddings and things that I've always just missed out on because of softball.

I can't tell you how much I respect all the single parents out there doing it all solo.

A macho attitude is totally to my advantage. Guys try to hit it 400 feet out of the park, but in softball you have to use a short, quick swing. Big, huge swings equal big, huge strikeouts.

When I'm in the game [softball], it's not so much mechanics. It's more of just trusting my teammates, trusting myself, trusting my preparation that we've put in to get there. When you're in the game, it's go-mode. There's going to be times when you're tweaking things but when you're in that game mode, you just want to think about that one next pitch.

Growing up, I looked up to major league baseball players, and now these young women have amazing, incredible women all across the board, from swimming to gymnastics to softball to basketball.

I try to not be too hard on myself regarding my diet. I've always been a workout-to-eat kind of a girl. I like to eat, to say the least.

Seeing women on television was very important to me. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of women's sports. It showed me what I could do and who I could be.