It’s 90 degrees, sweat pouring down my face, the sun beaming down on the field, the dirt dry and cracked. I'm up to bat with the winning run moments away if I connect.

Before long I realize I’m up to bat and I slide on my sweaty batting gloves and pick up my bat and I walk out of the dugout and see everyone cheering for me. Everything was in slow motion. The umpire calls time to brush off the plate and talk to the catcher and pitcher.

 My coach calls me over and says “ just like last game”. 

I was 3/3 in the last game and I thought to myself yeah just like last time but I’m 0/2 this game I haven’t even hit a ball into this game. emotions swim through my head like small fish. What if I miss and strike out? What if I pop the ball up? What if I hit a ground ball to the pitcher? What if I HIT THE BALL AS HARD AS I CAN AND WIN THE GAME! And that’s what I think about for the rest of the time until I hit the ball. Before I knew it all of the confidence immediately flowed throughout my body. 

Before long I hear the umpire yell “BATTER UP”.

 I was walking up to the plate with more confidence than I had ever had. The umpire signals to the pitcher he can now throw the pitch. I was nervous so I took the first pitch 

“BALL ONE” the umpire shouts.

 “STRIKE ONE” the umpire hollers.

 I call time before the next pitch. I think to myself This is my pitch. My favorite count is one ball, one strike. I regather myself and look for my sign from my 3rd base coach. He gives me the green light. My adrenaline is sky-high. I step to the plate and stare down at the pitcher. He started his windup and released the ball slowly. In an instant, I knew it was a changeup. The crisp white ball flying through the air right down the middle I thought to myself. I was correct it was a changeup right down the middle. I gather as much power as I can and swing hard. The bat feels like a million pounds. DING the sound of my metal bat sounds as I hit the ball. I run as quickly as I can to first base. I feel like a dog running in an open field. As I get to first base I hear parents and coaches screaming at my teammates to run home. I look over to my right to see the ball soaring through the air right over the 2nd baseman's head into the outfield. I knew my teammate had to be almost at home plate. I see the right fielder pick up the ball and hurls the ball to home plate for the out to save the game. The ball soars through the air and I think to myself He isn't going to make it in time. My teammate slides into home plate just as the catcher catches the ball. I pray as I approach second base. The throw is too late. My teammate's sweaty hats soar through the blue sky as I get tackled and congratulated. I see the other team's pitcher stare me down as I'm celebrating. It's one of my friends from my old team on his knees pounding his fist into the sun-baked brown dirt. My team and I walk back to home plate to shake hands with the other players, some of them are angry and some are just disappointed. As we are shaking hands the pitcher from the team kicks dirt on me and starts cussing me out. I was confused and just walked away and he had to be held back from his coach. My teammates and I cracked up and gathered our gear.

In the meantime, as I'm gathering my stuff ready to go to the championship game I recognized I just had no confidence and was nervous to now being full of confidence and was excited about the next game. And it's because I had confidence in myself and others did too and self-confidence is stronger than your peers' confidence in you and that’s what helped me power through the anxiety and the stress and win the game for my team. 

Soon after, as I'm walking to the next game, the championship game, I feel amazing and the best I have ever felt before. The sun was about to set and the field lights were turning on. My cleats clicked on the concrete, and I heard the dings and cracks of bats behind me. I think to myself I love this game. I step onto the fresh brown dirt and I smell the freshly mowed grass and the glaring lights in the outfield. My teammates and I are ready to win this game, ready to get that ring. We started very strong with the momentum of our last game scoring 4 runs in the first 2 innings. We are playing like we are the best team in the nation. The game ends and we are victorious with a score of 8-3. 

Later on, driving home with my ring in my hand and the smell of metal on my hands and dirt on my clothes as tired as can be and showing off my ring was a great feeling knowing that I just helped us get to the championship game. For the rest of the three tournaments, we placed very well, getting 2nd place twice and winning another one right before going to the state tournament. And I will never forget in difficult times that self-confidence is always the best way to overcome internal or external conflicts throughout your life.