For Rylee Benien, the season was less about individual milestones and more about building something lasting with her teammates.
“This year, a big focus for our team was continuing to grow together,” Benien said. “Since many of us have played with each other for the past few years, we already had a strong bond. Because of that, we made it a goal to improve our fundamentals and overall skills as a team.”
Individually, Benien also targeted growth behind the plate, focusing on becoming a more confident and reliable catcher.
“A personal goal of mine this year was to improve my catching skills so I could gain more confidence and trust myself to perform at the level I know I’m capable of,” she said.
One of Benien’s biggest strengths has been her work ethic, something she said she leans on to help elevate the program around her.
“One of my strengths is that I’m always willing to put in the extra work to help our team be the best we can be,” Benien said. “I try to use that by staying committed, working hard in practices and games, and pushing myself to improve so I can contribute as much as possible to the team’s success.”
That mindset also guided her offseason focus, where she worked to step into a larger leadership role.
“One thing I wanted to work on this season was stepping up and filling a big leadership role on the team,” she said. “I wanted to help set a good example and be someone my teammates could rely on. In the offseason, I worked on improving my mindset and communication so I could better support and encourage my teammates while also continuing to work on my own skills.”
For Benien and her teammates, success is measured by more than wins and losses.
“A successful season for me and my team would look like us continuing to build our bond and learning how to work even better together,” she said. “Our end goal is to make a strong run at regionals and eventually make it to state.”
On the field, Benien backed up her leadership with production. She was named 2024 honorable mention all-league and earned first-team all-league and honorable mention all-state honors in 2025. She has maintained a batting average above .300 in all three years of her career, along with 11 doubles and four home runs this season. Defensively, she posted a 1.000 fielding percentage in 18 of 21 games and recently reached a milestone alongside her battery mate, pitcher Haylee Blake, with 400 combined strikeouts.
