Looking out at the field of green grass and infield soil, the softball players stretch their calves and triceps to prepare themselves for the first game of the school year. Eyes laser-focused on the ball and legs slightly angled in a crouched position behind the home plate, catcher Olivia Alvarez captures the game’s first pitch.

Alvarez (22) serves as both a catcher and first baseman for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School varsity softball team. She began her athletic career with the Youth Softball Association of Coral Springs and the rest was history.

“I started playing softball when I was seven years old and it kind of started by accident when my dad’s friend threw me a front toss and I made solid contact,” Alvarez said. “The next day, I signed up for softball.”

Besides playing on the varsity team throughout the entirety of high school, Alvarez developed her skills and techniques in various competitive travel programs, such as Coral Springs Panther’s, Jacksonville Storm and Lady Dukes. For Alvarez, softball transformed from a recreational hobby to an intensive extracurricular–one that required a greater amount of commitment, practice and skill.

Alvarez is ranked in the Top 100 Florida high school women’s softball leaderboard. She has secured a .352 batting average and .410 on base percentage (OBP) in the 39 games she has played, in addition to her 37 hits and 24 runs batted in (RBI).

Starting on the varsity team as a freshman is only one of several accomplishments under Alvarez’s belt. Over the past summer, Alvarez earned the position of starting catcher for the Women’s National Colombia Team and participated in the 19th Bolivarian Games held in Bogotá, Columbia. Her team ended with a score of 4-2, winning a silver medal.

Alvarez’s accomplishments have propelled her towards a love for fitness and a dedication to her sport, eventually leading to her commitment to play softball at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

“I ultimately decided to commit to Rollins because it wasn’t too far from home, and the campus and athletic facilities were stunning. I was contemplating schools in the northeast but decided to stay in the sunshine state for four more years,” Alvarez said.

Since softball is a team sport, working together to communicate is necessary in succeeding in games. Alvarez has found the sport to be advantageous to her social and physical well-being, cultivating several life-long friendships in the weekly practices and strengthening her abilities in the time spent in the weight room and batting cages.

“Being an athlete has made me mentally tough and has taught me many lessons such as never giving up and always working towards your dreams. It has also given me the opportunity to experience new cultures by playing and traveling with the Colombian National Team,” Alvarez said.

Outside of softball, Alvarez has played on the varsity golf team for three years, tutored underclassmen as a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society and co-founded a book drive that donates used books to elementary school students and the Literacy Connection Inc. Beyond school, she enjoys going to the gym and hanging out with her friends at the beach.

Alvarez looks forward to attending Rollins College with a major in biology and minor in business. In November, she will compete with the National Colombian Team once again for the Women’s Softball Pan American Qualifiers in Guatemala.