Fresh Perspective: Wilkins catches on with MHS softball

By JOSHUA GRAVES 

The Tower 

Making varsity for any sport as a freshman can be a challenge.  

Most high schoolers go from the freshman team to junior varsity before elevating to varsity. Only the exceptionally talented high school athletes make varsity in all four years. One of those athletes walks the campus of Manteca High School, and her name is Avya Wilkins. 

Wilkins is a freshman starting on the varsity softball team as a centerfielder. She has an outstanding work ethic and love for the game. Manteca High School’s softball program is very competitive and spots on the team are never handed out, each one is earned with hard work and dedication.  

Many of the varsity team’s big contributors are upperclassmen that pave the way for the team. However, Wilkins has carved her own path by giving her full effort during games and practices.  

Wilkins sports a .343 batting average, 12 hits, 8 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, and an on-base percentage of .465. 

But Wilkins isn’t just a star athlete, she excels in the classroom with straight A’s across the board. In a recent interview, Wilkins spoke about her thoughts on being a significant contribution to the varsity softball program.  

The Tower: How does it feel to be a freshman on varsity? 

Avya Wilkins: Being a freshman on varsity is a big accomplishment for me, I’ve been looking forward to it since high school started and being a freshman on varsity makes me want to push myself harder to prove why I deserve to be on varsity. 

TT: Who do you look up to the most? 

AW: I look up to my parents because they are my biggest motivation and they make me want to keep going, and they support me through my journey. 

TT: What does the Buffalo hat represent? 

AW: The buffalo hat represents whenever you do something good like for example, when you hit a home run or make a diving catch and its like a trophy or metal for your achievement 

TT: What are your goals? 

AW: My goals are to finish high school with a good GPA, and hopefully get recruited by a good D1 or D2 college and then have a good life outside of high school and have people in my life that will help me and support me. 

TT: Was making it to varsity as a freshman your main goal going into high school? 

AW: Coming into high school, being a freshman on varsity or just being on varsity in general was my main goal because, I’ve worked hard from when I started playing softball to now to get to this point and I’m hoping to go further outside of high school.