Playing great consistently is something every athlete strives for in their career. However, some people don’t aim to be the greatest. Miranda Rollins is the ultimate mix of a great player and a great teammate, willing to do anything to help her team. Rollins is a utility player for Seminole High Softball in Florida and is an expected 2025 graduate. Being a utility player means helping the team any way possible, and that is exactly what she does.
Finding the confidence
Whether she plays at shortstop, the hot corner at third base, second base, or is patrolling the outfield, Miranda plays exceptionally well anywhere you put her. She won the USSSA game defensive most valuable player in 2020, which helps highlight the success of her defense. However, Miranda was not always the most confident player defensively.
“Defensively, I was actually very self-conscious,” Rollins said. “I wasn’t confident in myself and was almost nervous to be on the field because I didn’t want to mess up. This past year I have been doing a lot of drills, working on range of motion, and building speed to get any ball possible.”
While her defense is well-regarded, all you have to do is take one look at her swing and see the simplicity behind it. As she stays back on balls and slaps them all across the field, she’s not aiming for them to go over the fence, but if the ball is put in play, chances are good things will happen.
“All I try to do is get on base no matter what,” Rollins said. “Whether it’s a bunt, hit by pitch, walk, or anything. The team needs runs and when I step in that box I’m very relaxed and confident. That has been a big part in my success.”
There is no doubt that confidence is crucial for Miranda and when she has it, she is one of the best on the field. She led her team, the Seminole Warhawks, in on-base-percentage with .527, was second in batting average with .422, 1st in runs with 22, and she isn’t afraid to show off her wheels with a team-leading 8 stolen bases.
The power of the father-daughter combo
One of Miranda’s biggest supporters is her father, Rick Rollins, who is her coach and has the task of finding a balance between being her motivator and his love as a father. Being committed is a two-way street as Rick stayed committed to coaching her as long as she put in the work and it’s worked out for both of them.
“Oh man, it’s been a long journey so far,” Rick Rollins said. “She’s been a lot of fun to coach because she’s one-time correctable, so you tell her what to do in order to fix something and she does it and doesn’t deviate from it.”
Rick was ecstatic when talking about his daughter as any father would be, but he’s shown just how special of a player Miranda is and can be.
“No matter what, he will do anything to help me get better and will get anything I need to be the best player possible.,” Miranda said. “No matter how stressed he is with work, busy with my other siblings, helping out coaching, he always finds a way to help me get better and he’s stuck by my side even through very rough times in softball.”
There is no doubt Miranda appreciates the impact her dad has had on her life and softball journey.
Simplicity is what Miranda evokes within her plate appearances and on the field, and that translates to success for her. Expect her to do some great things for whichever college she decides to attend.