Jenna Lilley from Hoover High in North Canton, Ohio, is one of the top high school and club softball players in the nation.  She has helped Hoover win three straight state championships including a 32-0 mark this past season as she hit .697 and was named the Ohio State Player of the Year and a MaxPreps All-American.  The senior has committed to the Univ. of Oregon and is also a star in the classroom with a 3.9 GPA.  A great writer, we know you’ll enjoy her insights into her world on and off the softball field!

In this blog, she talks about her off season prep and a quote by a legendary football coach that is so important she’s painted it on her bedroom wall!

 Click here to read Jenna’s first blog, “Stay hungry”

Learn more about Jenna and her athletic family in this piece by her mother, Debbie, called A parent’s perspective: softball sacrifices

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So, it has been about three weeks since I’ve last played in a softball game.

My body deserved a rest and it will tell me when I need to get back out on the field every day (that day is coming soon, I can’t take it anymore!), but I do believe these three weeks off have been very beneficial.

My body is starting to physically recover from a summer full of travel and softball wear and tear. I told myself I could take some time off until I felt ready to get back at it. I want to mentally be to the point where I’m overly ecstatic to get back on the field… that is when I know the offseason for the preparation of 2014 has begun.

Over the course of these three weeks, I took the time to reflect on this past season. I started keeping a journal of “softball thoughts” and I now write in it frequently.

My postseason reflection was the first thing to go in this special book of mine. I first asked myself what I improved on this season. I wrote down specific details in the areas of mental state of mind during play, hitting mechanics, fielding, throwing, and leadership.

The next thing I asked myself was what I NEED to improve on this offseason. On the following page I wrote specific details from every aspect of softball to take my game to the next level.

The next page contains my favorite quote:

“We are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect.  But we are going to relentlessly chase it because in the process we will catch excellence.  I am not remotely interested in just being good.” – Vince Lombardi.

This quote is also painted on my bedroom wall—it is the first thing I look at EVERY morning. My favorite word is “relentless.” According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it means “showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace.”

THAT is how I work in the off season and that is how I play on the field… I NEVER let up. Whether I think I’m strong “enough” or we are up by 10 runs, I keep my intensity the same.

Monday is Day 1 of my offseason. I can’t wait to be back out on the field and in the weight room doing what I love. I am going to approach each day with specific goals and a positive mindset.

I truly believe that if you have a passion, knowledge, and a work ethic, then the sky is the limit. I am so excited to work hard to be the best I can be, and strive to get even one percent better every day.

That’s really my goal for 2013-2014 season:  to work as hard as I can and give everything I have EVERY day (with one day off a week, of course!).

Every day before I go to bed I want to be able to answer yes to this question: “Did I leave it all on the field today?” Then, I will go to sleep with a smile on my face, ready to make my next day a masterpiece.

As always,

Jenna