Ponte Vedra Senior Leads Team to Undefeated Regular Season by Brandon Ibarra
photography by Beverly Pye, Snappy Shots Photography
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very Geehr’s goals for her senior softball season were simple. Individually, she wanted to record 222 strikeouts and keep her earned run average under 1. Before Districts, she had tallied over 240 strikeouts, and her ERA stood near 0.4. As a captain and leader, she only hoped her team would play together as a cohesive unit. That was enough for her. She had already signed with Georgetown University and was looking forward to enjoying the time with her coaches and teammates. There are four seniors on the 2014 team, and they’re all the best of friends. She’s been playing with her battery mate, Taylor Zitielo, since they were both six years old. Their fathers started coaching their teams a few years later, from eight-andunder park ball up until they were freshmen. Softball was her way of obtaining a prestigious education and passage to the bustling Washington, D.C. area. She had always planned to attend a school based on its academics, not just its athletics (though the Georgetown softball program is no slouch as an upand-coming Big East contender). “I fell in love with D.C. in eighth grade and cannot wait any longer to live there!” she says. Her weighted grade point average is above 4.4. She probably would’ve made it to Georgetown solely on her grades. She’s enrolled in six Advanced Placement courses split evenly between PVHS and Florida Virtual School: calculus, statistics, physics, microeconomics, government and politics, and language and composition. Geehr didn’t expect her Sharks to win all 24 games on their regular season schedule, but they did. “Our young players really stepped up,” she says. “[Going undefeated] was a great way to go out.”
Favorite Athlete: Derek Jeter Favorite Subject: Calculus Least Favorite Subject: History Ideal Place to Vacation: Bora Bora Gatorade or Powerade: Gatorade
She’s modest, so she might not tell you, but she helped a little bit, too. During a tournament over spring break, Geehr pitched four games in a span of two days. She admits the quick turnaround was physically taxing, but welcomes challenges like these anyway. She’s in the weight room multiple times a week working on core muscles and arm strength. She takes her preparation as a pitcher seriously as well. She practices painting the corners of the strike zone with precision and shows good control of her off-speed pitches. Geehr is an accomplished violinist and has been playing since fourth grade. She performed for patients at the Mayo Clinic over the summer and participates at her church, Christ Episcopal Church. Her musical endeavors double as cross training: she possesses exceptional muscle memory and strength in her fingers, which help her grip the laces when she throws breaking balls. Geehr credits her development into a Division 1 college athlete in part to the excellent coaching she has received at school and on her traveling team. Practices are intense and push her and her teammates to their limits, but she is most appreciative of their focus on the mental aspect of the game. Her coaches drill obscure situations just in case they are faced with one, even if they have yet to encounter it in a game. Geehr’s six-year old cousin Meredith plays youth league softball and wants to be just like her. Geehr sees the responsibility in that and relishes the opportunity to be a positive influence in Meredith’s life. She knows the value in having a role model, because she had one when she was younger, too. Molly Manning, a former Villanova University standout, gave pitching lessons to Geehr while at Bartram Trail High School. Geehr then went on to break most of her area records. ITG
Movie: A Cinderella Story Last Song Played: “Grillz” by Nelly Superpower I’d Choose: Read Minds
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