Peak this summer 

'Tis the season to 

challenge yourself

This article is greatly condensed from a much longer blog entry by Casey Stangel at ESPNHS Softball.

CLICK HERE for the full story.

"High school softball season is the time to test myself. It’s an opportunity for me to get comfortable with changes I have made over the winter. 

"For example, this last winter I learned a new pitching style, and this spring I am perfecting my mechanics. I am not playing against “the best of the best,” and I am in a more relaxed environment to just get in there and play. 

Casey Stangel

"In contrast, summer season is when it’s go time... It is my biggest challenge and it shows me what I truly need to improve on because I am playing against the girls I will be facing in college...

"So learn to challenge yourself; make your own competition... Basically, the 15 home runs you hit in high school mean nothing if you get to an exposure tournament and go 0 for 5 against pitchers going to Division I schools...

"My challenge this high school season is to develop my rise ball. We are calling it at least twice for every batter, and whether or not it’s a strike every time, we keep throwing it. You have to fail to be able to succeed, and why not fail now?...

"You have to be willing to sacrifice some statistics by challenging yourself, but it is so worth it to be at your peak in the summer and eventually gain those stats back against better competition."

Casey Stangel is a junior pitcher at Lake City High School (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) who also plays for the SoCal Explosion.