Softball
Favorite athlete: Keilani Ricketts
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Playing for the 2012 Suburban One League Carpenter Cup Team, fighting to win the tournament from the loser’s bracket and being recognized on the field before a Phillies game!
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When I broke my bat hitting during a game and was so surprised, I didn’t run and got thrown out at first.
Music on your iPod: Ed Sheeran
Future plans: Study actuarial science and hopefully pass the first three actuarial exams while in college.
Words to live by: “Spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself and a little less time trying to impress people.” –The Breakfast Club
One goal before turning 30: Visit Europe
One thing people don’t know about me: I know a little bit of sign language.
By Mary Jane Souder
Amanda Wolfgang has a fascination for numbers.
Interestingly, the Central Bucks West senior’s interest in softball was sparked – at least in part – by that passion.
“I fell in love with the mental aspect of softball,” Wolfgang said. “I’m really a math person.
“I love numbers, so I was always intrigued by statistics like batting average, all of the pitching statistics and fielding averages. Softball is considered less of a physical sport by a lot of people because there’s not much running, but it’s such a big mental game. I think that’s what drew me in.”
It might be numbers that drew Wolfgang into the sport, but it’s her arm – a cannon - that has made her such a standout on the diamond.
“The thing that jumps off the page is her arm,” coach Jim Taylor said. “She would throw balls in from center field, and we’d be catching - I swear, the velocity was increasing as the ball was getting to me. She has an arm that would probably challenge many, many boys.”
There’s also the little matter of Wolfgang’s versatility – the West senior can play almost anywhere. She plays second base at the elite travel level but started the season in center field. When the Bucks’ starting catcher went down, Wolfgang moved behind the plate.
“We had a couple of jayvee catchers, but they’re on jayvee because they’re jayvee players,” Taylor said. “They’re all freshmen, and it would have been hard for them to go into a varsity game.
“Amanda steps in, even though it’s not necessarily a position she would like to play.”
Wolfgang gained some catching experience during middle school.
“I started catching because I could throw down to second,” she said.
For the past two seasons, Wolfgang has been co-captain of a West squad that has struggled to win games. With the regular season winding down, the Bucks have just one win to their credit.
“We haven’t had a ton of success, but it hasn’t affected her play,” said Taylor, noting that Wolfgang is his point of contact on the team. “She’s there every day at practice, and she’s maintained a level of excellence on the field that we really haven’t seen from anybody else in our program.
“She’s a phenomenal hitter. That’s still what most people will look at when they judge how good a baseball or softball player is. She hit in the .400s last year, and I would say she’s creeping back up to .400 this year. She has very few strikeouts – everything is in the field of play. She’s a good base runner and has above average speed.”
But it is Wolfgang’s continued desire to strive for excellence during adversity that has been even more impressive than the numbers she posts.
“That’s all you can do for the team is play your best and make every at-bat count,” she said. “When you’re only getting one or two a game – which has happened to us a lot, you need to do something with that at-bat.
“That’s the mental attitude I go into it with. I kind of feel for everyone, and I try to pick people up. I try to encourage everyone just to play their best, make the best of the situation and have fun.”
Despite her level of excellence on the diamond, softball will not be a part of her future when she heads off to Temple next fall. The school does not have a softball program, although Wolfgang would consider playing at the club or intramural level.
She is, however, ready for a new adventure.
“I want to try rowing crew,” Wolfgang said. “That would be something really different.”
Wolfgang will major in actuarial science with a goal of one day becoming an actuary, and her resume off the field is as impressive as it is on the field. She is a member of the National Honor Society and is also a member of the French Honor Society. She has had Distinguished Honors for all the marking periods and is an AP Scholar with honors.
Her list of extracurricular activities is a lengthy one. She is a member of Key Club, assisting at community events and tutoring. She has cooked for the homeless, and last year began volunteering her time to Athletes Helping Athlete.
“Last year the coach passed on information about Athletes Helping Athletes holding a spring training day for baseball,” Wolfgang said of a local organization that works with special needs athletes. “Ever since then, I’ve helped with the Special Olympics and the spring training. All the people are great – the athletes and the volunteers and the people who run the organization. I just really enjoy that.”
Wolfgang is the co-founder and co-leader of West’s BARC (Bringing Animals Relief Club).
“The summer before my junior year, I was with my best friend, and we were like – ‘We really want to make the most of these last two years at West,’” she said. “We wanted to do something and be really involved. We tried to figure out what we could do. We narrowed it down to starting a club.”
It was their love of animals that led them to the idea of starting BARC.
“For a while, I wanted to be a vet when I was younger,” Wolfgang said. “I would always tell my parents I just wanted to do something with animals – a zoologist or a vet.
“My plans have obviously changed, but I still love animals.”
The two friends got the necessary approvals, and the club was formed. Its two leaders had decidedly modest goals.
“We thought maybe we would have 10 people – there had to be some people who loved animals at the school,” Wolfgang said.
They did much better than that – they received 35-40 applicants.
“That was really exciting for us,” she said. “This year, we had over 100 members join. It’s one of the biggest clubs at West. It’s been pretty successful.
“We work with the SPCA. We hosted Santa Claws events where people get their animal pictures with Santa. We work with special equestrians, we sponsored a horse fair, and we’re going to sponsor animals at Elmwood Zoo.”
The club has held fundraisers and brought in special guest speakers.
“We just try and raise awareness and funds and connect with people who love animals like we do,” Wolfgang said. “It’s been a really awesome experience. It’s a lot of work but really rewarding.”
This summer, Wolfgang – a former gymnast who has been on the travel circuit since she was 12 – will have her final stint playing for the PA Vipers. She is a co-captain of that squad as well.
She will leave West softball with fond memories.
“I have enjoyed it,” Wolfgang said. “I’m going to miss it a lot next year. Even though it’s a rough season and seems long – this is AP testing time, so it can be stressful, but ultimately, they’re great people and I miss them so much out of season.
“They’re really good friends, and it’s a sport I love. How can you not be happy in the end?”
