While many freshmen at Green Hope are just starting to figure out how to juggle the newfound responsibilities and freedoms that come with the transition to high school, Josselyn DeSantis (’28) is already making a name for herself on the field and in the classroom. As a three-sport athlete who plays tennis, flag football and softball, all while maintaining straight A’s, it seems as if theres nothing that this newbie can’t do.
Growing up in a family deeply involved in sports has made a huge impact on DeSantis. With two older brothers who were constantly involved in athletics, as well as football and baseball-fanatic parents, sports have always been at the forefront of her mind.
“I can’t really remember a time where I haven’t played a sport, but one of the first memories I do have is my mom taking me to the tennis center near my house to hit a bit.” All it took was ease of proximity and her love for tennis was born. As she continued to play on various Town of Cary tennis leagues and compete in tournaments, DeSantis’s skills strengthened. Years later in high school, DeSantis just completed her first personal undefeated season on one of the top Women’s tennis teams in the state.
However, DeSantis didn’t stop there, continuing her athletic career on Green Hope’s newly established Women’s flag football team. When asked about what got her into the idea of playing flag football DeSantis explained that supportive mentors encouraged her to try this new activity., “Well, it was sort of a debate because the [flag football] season overlaps a bit with the school tennis season and I wasn’t sure I wanted football to get in the way of tennis. But one of my friends from tennis was also doing it, and my tennis coach was also coaching the flag football team, so I felt very supported and decided to commit.”
DeSantis’s true calling, however, has always been softball. It is also the sport in which most of her “favorite memories have happened,” as she stated before detailing a core event that will stick with her forever.
In DeSantis’s seventh grade year at Alston Ridge Middle School, she was determined to be awarded the “Iron-Warrior Athlete Award.” As she already played softball and track through middle school – on top of travel softball and out-of-school tennis – all she needed was one more sport to remain active year-round. She chose soccer and again excelled in yet another sport. It was then that disaster struck.
After multiple months of playing four different sports, and of course, doubling up on softball, her body was overworked. She injured her back and was recommended to take at least one and a half months off of all sporting activities. “It was a hard thing to hear because I had never really gone for more than a couple of weeks without playing a sport,” remarked DeSantis. “But my body and mind were tired, so I was not too against having to take some time off.”
After her one and a half months off, she was excited to jump back into her travel softball season. Understandably though, her coach wasn’t ready to put DeSantis back on the top of the roster the moment she returned from injury. But DeSantis was more than ready to prove herself.
The score was 6-7, with DeSantis’s NC Challengers Black team down against Garner Elite, their opponent for the match. DeSantis, near the end of the lineup at the time, was up to bat. With two of three bases loaded and her close friend on the opposing team pitching to her, she knew her swing had to connect. DeSantis reflects on the moment, saying, “I wasn’t really nervous per se, but I knew I had the opportunity to win this for my team, which would mean so much to a lot of people and only made me want it more.”
She swung and with a crack of her bat, DeSantis had hit a home run. She paused for a quarter of a second to watch her incredible ball fly fast through the air, then started sprinting the bases. “My team and the people in the stands went pretty crazy, it was so fun to be able to contribute, especially since it came right after I got back from being injured,” she said.
Almost like a scene of a movie, this remarkable feat of athleticism is a true testament to the sporting abilities that DeSantis holds. She is currently in preparation for the upcoming spring Green Hope softball season, where she hopes to be a major contributor on the team. Both of her brothers were also on the Green Hope Baseball Team, so she is ready to live up to her legacy on the field.
