Alexa Shull was really looking forward to her vacation.
She just wish it could have been delayed a little.
Shull is a recent graduate of Franklin Towne Charter High School, and this year she was the starting second baseman on the softball team.
The team went undefeated in Public League play and ran through the playoffs to the championship game with relative ease. The championship was slated for Tuesday, the day Shull was scheduled to leave for Mexico to be the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding.
But rain Monday night left the field in South Philadelphia a mess, so the game was postponed a day, meaning Shull wasn’t available to play.
“It was the worst, but being with my family, especially around this time, is the most important thing for me,” said Shull, who lives in Parkwood. “I couldn’t believe it, but this is something we’ve been looking forward to. It’s a great vacation and I’m the maid of honor with my other sister, so it’s a huge thing. I can’t miss it.
“Family is always first. Me and my sisters are all best friends, we have to be there for each other. I wish I could (have) played in the game. I love my team, but it’s just the way it worked out. Bad timing.”
It was the first bad day the Warriors had this spring, and it left them runners-up in the Public League. Central bested Franklin Towne Charter 5-2 in the Public League championship. The win gave the Lancers a spring sweep, they also won the Public League baseball crown, besting Science Leadership Academy in the title game.
For Shull, it was still a great year. It wasn’t only her final year on the squad, it was also her first year on the team.
“Growing up, I always played rec sports, so I didn’t really play softball for a school, and I kept playing rec ball when I got to high school because that’s where all my friends were,” said Shull, who is also a member of the Franklin Towne field hockey team and cheerleading squad, and previously played for Parkwood and Torresdale recreation teams. “I finally tried out last year and I made it, and then corona happened. It got cut short.
“I was disappointed, I really wanted to play. Corona killed everything for us this year, we didn’t have field hockey or cheerleading, but when it came to the spring, we had a season. It was so great. I was ready to do anything, I just needed some normalcy in my life. I was so happy we had a season.”
It was just just to play, but Shull admits it was even more fun to win.
This year’s squad was young, there were only three seniors on the team, and they tried to lead by example.
But the younger players did more than hold their own. They were one of the main reasons the Warriors enjoyed so much success throughout the year.
“We were young, and they were such good players,” Shull said. “When the season started, I thought we were going to be good, but I had no idea we were going to be like this. We were so good. We had so much talent and I think it helped that we were all friends. That made us a better team.
“I love this team. I think all of the girls on this team are going to be in my life for a long time. And I love our coaches, too. Our head coach (Paige Lang) taught one of my sisters, so I knew her for a long time. She’s a great coach, she helped us get to where we are.”
Shull has always been a family-first person, it’s something she learned from her older sisters, Nicole, who was recently married, and Kyra, 20.
“People call us the triplets,” Shull said. “They played softball and were cheerleaders, like me. I learned a lot from them.”
Shull also had help from her elder siblings when she was growing up. That definitely gave her a leg up, but she still put in a lot of work to make herself the best she can be.
“I love all my sports, I was so happy I was able to do all of them,” Shull said. “Field hockey is my favorite, it just gets my adrenaline rushing so much, I think because you’re always moving. Sometimes I think cheerleading was the hardest. I was a flyer, so I was always being thrown around, and sometimes they drop you. I loved it, though. It definitely helps you and makes you more flexible.”
Next year, Shull will likely give up sports, but she hopes to stay active in playing sports with her friends.
After spending the summer in Wildwood, she’s bound for Drexel University, where she will study political science. She hopes to eventually practice law.
“I want to be a lawyer,” Shull said. “My mom was a paralegal. She never had a chance so I said I would do it. I’m going to be the lawyer in the family. I love arguing. It’s in my blood. I want to become a district attorney. That’s my ultimate goal.”
One thing there’s no argument about, she loved her days at Franklin Towne.
“I’m going to miss it like crazy,” Shull said. “I loved it. I loved everything. I’m glad I had softball, it was like a chance to have one more time playing a sport. It was great.”
