Becca Varhula is good at a lot of things.
The senior at School Lane Charter is one of the top students in her school.
She’s a fantastic athlete, a hard worker and great teammate.
But she knows the feeling of failure only too well. It’s a great feeling of failure, though.
“Whenever my mom gets kittens from (Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Team, the city’s only in-take shelter), we get them and we have a huge cage set up with a bunch of toys and we pretty much foster them and play with them, feed them, get them ready to get neutered and then we find them homes,” Varhula said. “It’s something my mom got me into, she’s been doing it for as long as I can remember. She loves it and that made me love it. Kittens are so cute, it’s so fun.
“I play with them. I’ll run after them and I use that stick toy and they love it. They’re so cute. But we have been foster failures before. It’s always hard to give them up, but then we get new kittens and find them homes.”
While Varhula’s home is School Lane Charter, when Varhula is on the mound, she’s representing George Washington because it’s the closest school to her house, so she’s allowed to play for them.
And the Eagles are happy to have her.
She’s been one of the best pitchers in the Public League since she arrived, earning All-Public honors each of her first three seasons.
And her junior season was her best. Despite playing against the best teams in the Public League with a very inexperienced team around her, the Eagles finished 7-5, made the playoffs and with her on the mound, were in every game.
And if you ask Varhula about it, she’ll happily brag – but about everyone but herself.
As a two-year captain, she’s so proud of the improvement of many of her teammates, some of whom are new to the game.
“I am very proud of our team as a whole, especially since some of the girls that never played softball before,” Varhula said. “To see how far they came and see them compete with top teams in the division. It makes me happy how far all of them have come.”
And as a captain, she does her best to make sure they know they have support.
It wasn’t easy.
Varhula came into the program as a freshman knowing nobody.
She had to prove herself to everyone in the program. It didn’t take long. Now, she’s doing her best to build bonds and make not only her team, but her teammates the best they can be.
“In the beginning, my first year there it was hard to play for a school I don’t go to with people I don’t know, but I’ve got to meet the people and coaches and everyone is really nice and welcoming and it was easy after the years,” Varhula said.
“I’ve been a captain for the past two years. I feel like from other people who have told me, I have a very welcoming personality. I try to be nice right off the bat so they trust me and the team. Especially if they’re new and never played before.
“Washington is a very welcoming environment. I feel like I see it because that was me during my freshman year. I was brand new, I didn’t know anyone. I was really nervous. But over the years I’ve gotten comfortable and they’ve gotten to know me. People are coming together. I try to make sure I’m there to help anyone if they need it, with softball or really anything.”
This summer, she’s doing the same thing.
On top of being very busy with her club team in Ewing, New Jersey, she’s working as a camp counselor at Gifford Rec Center.
There, she uses her leadership skills, too. And also uses that strong arm of hers when they play wiffleball. But she does work hard there. That’s something that’s helped her softball career, too.
While she was a star pitcher all year for Washington, and one of the better hitters in the league, she did struggle for a little while. So she worked hard and switched things up.
“I started hitting left handed for a little while,” Varhula said. “It went better than I expected. It helped me hitting righty, too, and got me out of slump. It worked, I’m not hitting lefty with my tournament team. It worked, though.”
Hard work has helped her game. But she’s had other help.
She credits her family for that.
“My mom is literally my No. 1 supporter, always there for me when I’m struggling, always helps whenever she can and I really appreciate it,” said Varhula, who hopes to play softball in college and study nursing. “My whole family, the past few years, my mom was the main one, but my dad is at every single game for Washington and my tournament team. It means a lot to me.”
She has everything.
But a Public League championship. That’s something she hopes to fix next year.
“In the offseason, we’re getting together and practicing more, so we come back better than ever and we’re all comfortable,” she said. “I just want everyone to know we’re very tough and we’re making it very far. I have a really good feeling about this season. I trust my teammates, we’re all playing together and the new girls who join the team, they amaze me. Some never played before and after practice and putting in work, you can’t tell. They look like experienced players.
“I appreciate that everyone gives so much effort. I know I have my whole team behind me on the mound and that makes pitching a lot easier. I really love this team.”
