Sydney Supple from Oshkosh, Wisc. is one of the top 2019 players in the country and last year committed to Northwestern when she was just 13 years old. The tall lefty, who is also a standout hitter, will start her freshman year at Oshkosh North High School this fall and just finished playing with the Beverly Bandits Premier 14U team at the PGF Nationals this week.

She was kept quite busy, too, as she threw all six games for her team which went 4-2. Sydney totaled 39 innings and gave up only two earned runs (0.35 ERA). Impressively, she had three straight shutouts for the Bandits and compiled 44 strikeouts.

Here’s a profile we did on her last November.

In today’s final blog from PGF Nationals, Sydney talks about had she gave it her all during every play and explains why she shed tears for the only time all summer…

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California may be the longest tournament but it always goes by the fastest for me. I say that for it always seems like you are trying to cherish every moment with your team.

After we got knocked into the loser’s bracket, I started slowing the game down, taking deep breaths, closing my eyes and listening to my teammates voices yelling words of encouragements.

Using that as fuel to win every pitch, inning, and game because – with each game we won – it meant I got to play another game with my team.

Losing is never easy for me, it’s the hardest part of the game. It is a part of our sport, though, so just like learning how to field a ground ball you have to learn how to lose.

The way I’ve learned how to accept it is during those 7 innings you play, you give it everything you’ve got. Every pitch I threw I gave it my all, every swing I took I swung my hardest.

That’s why when, in our final game with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, one out, and down by one run, I looked at my coach and he told me this: “Don’t leave anything behind and swing for contact. Put everything you possibly have into this cut.”

That’s what I did, but unfortunately the other part about the game is sometimes you need a little luck.

I hit a screamer line drive down the third base line, but the third baseman snagged it and with all her momentum taking her backwards with the power of the hit, she fell on top of third base for the double play and final out.

One part of my game which I believe sets me apart is I wear my heart on my sleeve. I play with emotion for I am in love with the game.

On the final out I shed the only tears I have all season for I knew it was the last time I would be privileged to share the field with my 13 other teammates. As I walked off the field I kept my head high for I knew I left all I had on the field.

In my last blog from PGF Nationals, I would like to thank my teammates and coaches for helping me grow as a player and person. Every single one of them will forever be a part of me because they helped me become who I am today.

If I want to remember my team by one thing it would be our ability to fight. Losing the first game, none of us doubted once that we couldn’t still make it all the way. We came back from that loss and sent four teams home and that’s a fight I will forever be proud of.