Freshman Simone Velger-Aurelio is the first female player to pitch for Lowell’s JV baseball team. Since Velger-Aurelio is a newer member and has never played on an all-boys team before, the transition was slightly difficult as she adjusted to a team composed of unfamiliar faces. However, Velger-Aurelio’s love for the sport, along with the support she received from her teammates, soon allowed her to become comfortable. Velger-Aurelio has played baseball for six years and currently plays on the national level, but is training to play in an international tournament in the Philippines next summer. She looks forward to starting more games on Lowell’s team next season.

How has it been playing with boys at Lowell?

I was a little nervous to play because I’ve never played with a team of all boys, but I think they were really welcoming and I really liked that. They were really inviting on the team and it’s been really fun so far.

Has it been hard to fit in?

It was definitely an adjustment because in the past I played with all girls and then in middle school there was always one or two girls. So it was definitely a little different. But I think it’s definitely okay. I’ve gotten comfortable with it and it’s not too different, I don’t think.

Are there any specific differences playing with boys?

It’s nothing too noticeable, but the things they talk about and the jokes they make are very different from being in an environment of all girls.

What has been the most difficult part for you so far? 

I think it was mostly just like the difference between being with girls, and I was really close to the team that I had before, and starting here I didn’t really know anyone, except for one person from middle school. So it was definitely a little more difficult to meet new people..

How well do you think you’ve adjusted to the current team so far?

I think I’ve adjusted pretty well, I’m pretty comfortable with most of the people on the team already.

So you’ve played club baseball at a national level. How would you describe that experience?

Yeah, that was really interesting because there were teams from all over the state and all over the country and I’ve gone the past two years. And it’s really inspiring to see all the girls in all the different age groups and how they come from all these different areas. I think it’s really fun to see how it’s grown, from very few teams to so many teams in the most recent tournaments, so I think it’s really exciting to see how it’s grown and how many girls there are just across the country.

What are you excited about or looking forward to at the moment?

I’m excited to play more this summer. I’m actually going to the Phillipines to play in an international tournament so that should be really exciting, and there’s going to be teams from all over Asia that are also all girls. So that’s really exciting to see cause I’ve seen all girls throughout the U.S., but this is on an international scale so I think that’s gonna be really exciting, and meeting a lot of new people there. 

What are your goals for next year?

My goal for next year is probably starting more games. I started probably a couple at the beginning of the season, but towards the end I played most games but haven’t started since the beginning, so I’m hoping to start more games next season. I’m also hoping to improve on my hitting and pitching, because I think that is what I struggled a little bit with this year. I started to get a little less accurate with my pitching. I think my hitting improved towards the end but I definitely think I need a lot more improvement. 

What’s your favorite part about baseball?

My favorite part is meeting a lot of new people. But I like how it’s a really big community and you know a lot of people through playing the sport, and that’s really fun.