WOODBURY — Being a freshman athlete can be stressful and terrifying. But picture being the starting varsity pitcher for a high school softball team. Compound the stressors of freshman year with becoming the school’s athlete of the month after just a month of being at a new school. 

Freshman Scarlett Ivey has shown nothing but determination and motivation for sports at NHS. But for Ivey, it all started with her family.

“Sports are a way to connect to my family because my family is huge on sports,” said Scarlett Ivey, a freshman at NHS who plays softball and cross country. “My mom played at Marist College. I also want to play in college.”

If you were to ask Ivey what sport is her favorite, she wouldn’t hesitate: softball. She has been playing the game for the past 12 years and started pitching at age 6.

“I’ve been playing softball since I was 3,” Ivey adds. “It means a lot to me because I’ve been doing it forever.”

Scarlett’s father noticed her love for this sport at age 5 when she went to Rhode Island for her first tournament. After the tournament, there was a party that introduced Scarlett’s love for softball.

At this event, Ivey met with her teammates and made a decision: Softball was something they would dedicate themselves to. 

“She was hooked and wanted to do that again,” said Peter Ivey, Scarlett’s dad. “Here we are nine years later, still enjoying the ride.”

For Peter Ivey, watching Scarlett’s demeanor as a player has been his most gratifying moment as a sports parent.

“We are most proud of what she has learned from playing,” Peter said. “How she carries herself when things get tough, how she handles winning and losing, being resilient after a tough play, being mentally tough.”

When her parents come to the games, they love watching her grow with the sport as it shows how far she’s come.

“I enjoy watching her hard work pay off,” Peter Ivey adds. “When she spends time practicing her swing, then hitting the ball hard or when she works on pitching a changeup and she executes the pitch in game. It’s really rewarding to see the small things add up into a great all-around game and season for her.”

Sophomore Elizabeth Boisits, the first baseman on Nonnewaug’s softball team, was impressed by the work Scarlett showed during conditioning, and now that same effort is what she puts into games and practices.

“I was amazed, honestly, seeing her and how she performed,” Boisits said. “She works very hard. You can definitely tell in the games her practice is paying off.”

Boisits is excited to see how Ivey grows with this program during her next three years of high school.

“She already has amazing stats for this year with her just being a freshman,” Boisits adds. “Her next three years, she has so much to look forward to with how she is gonna perform and what she’s gonna be able to do for this team and program.”

With Ivey’s freshman season finished following the state tournament, she finished with a .525 batting average, 32 hits in 61 at-bats, and 31 RBI; as a pitcher, Ivey recorded 97 strikeouts and held her opponents to a .180 batting average.

“It went really well overall,” Ivey adds. “I’m really proud of myself. I was able to do a lot of good stuff this season. It was awesome to get nominated for All-State and get selected for first team All-BL.”

Ivey’s focus doesn’t end on the diamond. Within the classroom, NHS teachers have remarked how some of the same qualities that make her a softball standout also make her an academic star. 

“Scarlett is a very hardworking and conscientious student,” said Rebecca Trzaski, Ivey’s world history teacher. “Her classmates like working with her because they know she is dependable and will always give her best effort.”

This year, Ivey decided to run cross country in the fall to get her prepared for softball, and that ended up getting her to All-BL First Team. Arleigh Duff, the girls cross country coach, was impressed with her work ethic. 

“When I first saw Ivey run in practice, I could tell she was talented,” said Duff. “She was able to do hard workouts early.”

One day during practice, Duff told her to run for a short period of time as hard as she could. After she ran, he knew he was in for a treat. 

“I remember one time I told her to just run for 10 minutes as fast as she could,” Duff said, “and right then, it was like, oh boy, I know she works very hard.”

As the season went on, Ivey continued working hard. In October, she was presented as Female Athlete of the Month by the Chief Advocate.

“It made me feel great as a coach. She earned it,” said Duff. “She finished third in the league as a freshman and as a BL All-Star.”

Despite all of her successes as a freshman, her teammates and classmates recognize her unwavering willingness to cheer on those around her. 

“She’s a great teammate,” said Boisits. “She has always been super supportive of everybody on the team.”