At the United States Military Academy at West Point, teamwork isn’t just a value; it is a way of life. It is built into every workout, every classroom challenge, and every inning of softball played on the diamond. For these Girls with Game®, the connection between the diamond and the discipline of the military is deeply rooted.
“It is a team sport,” said Ashton White, a junior infielder for the Black Knights. “You can’t play all nine positions by yourself. You need your team. When you are close, have fun, and trust each other, the bond between us goes far beyond the diamond.”
The sense of camaraderie and fun is what drew many of these players to Army West Point. It is what keeps them grounded through the long days that stretch from military training to the classroom to late-night practices. Teamwork, as they have learned, is so much more than turning double plays or communicating the call for a flyball. It is about trust, empathy, and shared sense of purpose, values in which many of the athletes learned as young girls in Little League®, where playing catch with teammates became the foundation for something much bigger.
“I started playing softball when I was six or seven years old,” White said. “The biggest thing I learned was to love and trust your teammates. Focus on the girls you are around more than the game itself, and usually it all falls together.”
The lessons from Little League of cheering each other on through victories and showing up for one another in the hard moments still shape their approach to the game.
“It is so much easier to do things as a group than to do them alone. When you are fighting through adversity together, whether it is on the field, in the classroom, or during military training, you come out stronger on the other side,” said Taylor Brown, senior infielder. “A big part of that is working together as a team, being there for one another, and not being afraid to have the hard conversations. It is really easy to be there when things go well, but your teammates need you most when they are struggling. That is when the real teamwork shows up.”
At West Point, adversity is never accidental; it is fostered through grueling summer training and intense military exercises. Athletes quickly learn that success stems from the individuals around them.
“Trust is huge for us,” said White. “When we are out doing summer training, you must be able to rely on your battle buddies to your left and right. It is the same on the softball field. If I mess up, I know my teammates have my back, and if they mess up, they know that I have theirs”.
Pitcher Brianna Izzo said that a unique blend of athletics and military culture makes the team unlike any other across Division I athletics.
“We do a lot of exercises outside of softball that build cohesion through adversity,” said Izzo. “At West Point, ‘Do Hard Things’ is our motto. You struggle together; you grow together. That is where trust really comes from. You’re going to hit the slumps. You are going to struggle. It is about picking yourself up and picking your teammates up for the betterment of the team.”
For Brown, being a great teammate is about tough love and accountability. An honest line of communication that takes mutual respect and an understanding that they have been working towards the same goal since their first steps onto the diamond.
“Hold your teammates accountable, good or bad. If you see something wrong, say something. It will make them better, and the team is better for it. Softball is bigger than softball,” said Brown. “It is a game of life. You learn how to work with different personalities, how to fail, and how to turn those failures into success”.
When the Black Knights traveled to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the fourth-annual Little League® Girls with Game Experience, it was a full-circle moment. They weren’t just representing West Point; they were showing young girls what is possible.
“To be a Girl with Game means carrying yourself with confidence and presence,” said Izzo. “It’s about representing something bigger than yourself. You are representing your teammates, your school, and your community.”
White agreed, calling the event “huge” for the growth of women’s sports. “It is an honor to be a role model for the younger girls coming up. The game is growing, and we get to help set the foundation for that.”
If there is one message that these athletes would share with the next generation of women’s athletes stepping onto a Little League field, it is simple — have fun.
“It is easy to get caught up in the competition,” said White. “But if you focus on having fun, everything else will take care of itself.”