Kaiya Fabela has yet to start a game for her school this season, but she already seems smart enough to handle the pressure that comes with playing the sport of softball. The catcher position seemingly fell into her lap one day when her dad, who was the coach for her team at the time, didn’t have anyone behind the dish and decided to throw in his daughter. Fabela put on the gear and instantly fell in love—the rest is history.

“I love being involved in every single play, both mentally and physically. Being behind the plate, I’m able to see the field from a completely different perspective than any other player,” Fabela says. “Every pitcher is different and likes to be caught certain ways. This is super important because a pitcher is only going to at their best when they feel their pitches are being shown the best way possible.”

Mature For Her Age

She has yet to play in high school, but she’s already been through a lot both physically and mentally. 18 months ago, she tore her deltoid and lattissamois dorsi muscles that kept her from throwing and jogging. She was sidelined for six months and had to do physical therapy two times a week. “Nothing compares to the amount of joy and excitement I felt when I was finally able to get back behind the plate,” Fabela says.

When it comes to competing against others, Kaiya puts that all past her, instead focusing on becoming the best version of herself. Rather than just looking out for her own best interests, she always looks out for her teammates and praises them before herself. “I don’t compare myself to others, I am my biggest competition. I just strive to be better than I was yesterday.”

She has a deep understanding of the game already and is focused on improving her work ethic. “As you get older and the competition gets tougher, it’s not just about power,” Fabela adds. “An athlete has to be able to control their power and channel it into correct techniques and mechanics in order to compete.”

Staying Humble

When asked about her goals for this season, Kaiya Fabela immediately says, “my first goal is to make the varsity team; however, regardless of the team, my goal is to help them in any way I can.” Well, she made the Varsity team and now she can focus on her second goal, which is to break the single-season home run record at her school. The focus on her team’s success over her own individual accolades shows that she is a great teammate to play with and, when she gets better, the team will get better.

Last season, Kaiya posted a .409 batting average with 18 home runs and 83 runs batted in. All of these numbers don’t go without receiving some help, Fabela specifically shouted out hitting coach Brooke Richards and catching and speed and agility coach Mari McGuire for being “instrumental in my development over the years.”

Kaiya Fabela has the skills and ability to continue becoming a great catcher throughout her high school career. She’s already faced so much early on, and has had to battle back to being behind the plate. She has yet to really make a name for herself, but her work ethic and compassion will carry her on as long as she wants to play this game.