For Rowan Guebara, the final stretch of her high school softball career at Wichita East High School has been about more than stats or accolades. It has been about relationships, growth and finishing strong with the group of teammates she has built over the years.
“My primary focus this season was to finish off my high school career with a good group of ladies and to enjoy every moment,” Guebara said. “I wanted to accomplish having a closer relationship with my teammates.”
That focus has shaped both her approach on and off the field, as she has worked to be a consistent presence for a program that has been trending upward. Wichita East has already surpassed its win total from the past three seasons, with goals still set higher as postseason play approaches.
A successful season, Guebara said, would mean pushing deeper into the playoffs than in years past.
“A successful season for this team would be to hopefully play more than one regional game,” she said. “I think we already have a successful season for this program by having more wins than the past three years.”
Individually, Guebara has leaned on confidence and determination as her biggest strengths. She has tried to translate that mindset into leadership, especially for younger or less experienced teammates.
“I would consider my strengths to be my determination to play well with a high confidence,” Guebara said. “I utilized my confidence to hopefully uplift my teammates and be someone they would look up to.”
That leadership mindset has also influenced her personal goals. Rather than focusing solely on numbers, Guebara said she wanted to ensure she could look back on her senior season with appreciation for the journey.
“This season I wanted to work on having a positive attitude to end the season and look back and enjoy the past four years of softball with Wichita East High,” she said.
Her preparation has continued outside of team practices. During the offseason, Guebara committed time to sharpening fundamentals, including hitting and pitching work at home.
“During the offseason I worked on a lot of tee work and hitting into my net while I was at home,” she said. “I would also work on my snaps and grips for pitching. Another thing I did was play catch when I had the chances.”
