Central Whidbey softball standout Izzy Wells (right) meets up with a friendly foe. (Katy Wells photos)
Combining two of her passions, reading and softball.
Izzy and younger sister Savina fuel up before wreaking havoc on the diamond. (John Fisken photo)
The middle child is making a name for herself.
When she’s not busy cheering for older brother Ulrik or lil’ sis Savina, Coupeville 7th grader Izzy Wells is fast becoming one of the most skilled young athletes in Central Whidbey.
A dynamic pitcher on the softball diamond (where she plays both little league and tournament ball with the Washington Patriots), she’s also an accomplished volleyball spiker and a hoops hotshot who played a grade up this winter.
Not that any of this success has gone to her head, as Wells remains low-key, far more likely to scream in support of a teammate than try and draw any attention to her own play.
The best part of each sport is “that I can be around my friends and play sports with them.”
It’s a trait all of Lyle and Katy Wells‘ children exhibit, and one which will serve Izzy well as she progresses in her athletic career.
She plans to stay with her busy schedule, bouncing between volleyball, school and SWISH basketball and little league and travel ball softball through middle school.
Once she hits high school, Wells is ready to play her core three sports … unless she takes a detour.
“I would like to play basketball, softball and volleyball,” she said. “I would also like to maybe try tennis or track in high school though.”
While she derives great joy from all of her sports, the two which she puts the most time into are in a battle for her heart. And it’s a battle which doesn’t have to have a winner.
“I can’t choose between basketball and softball because they are both my favorite,” Wells said. “I like these sports because softball is very fun and I love being around my teammates, and basketball because it is very fast-paced and a team sport and I love my coaches because they always cheer me on and guide me.”
Wells, who wants “to get a team banner on the wall and go to state” once she hits high school, is a work in progress, something she embraces.
“I think that my strengths as an athlete are being able to focus and not be super serious about everything,” she said. “I would like to work on every area, but mostly it would be my hitting in softball and my shooting and post work in basketball.”
A big fan of movies like Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Sandlot, Napoleon Dynamite and the Spider-Man and Lord of the Rings series, Wells “loves to play the electric bass guitar, read, do a lot of crafts and cuddle with my three cats.”
She also enjoys “hanging out with my friends and painting my nails all the time,” though she admits, with a big laugh, “I usually take the polish off right after I paint them.”
Those friends, such as fellow athletes Kiara Contreras, Ja’Kenya Hoskins and Audrianna Shaw, “have always pushed me in sports and help me whenever I need it.”
Tack on her family and her many coaches, and Wells has a support staff which is helping her grow into her athletic abilities.
“My mom and my dad have always helped me and taken me to every practice and every game and always cheered me on,” Wells said. “Also, my coaches, Coach Ryan King, Coach Dustin V., and many more, have always helped me to get better and I would not be the athlete I am right now if it wasn’t for them.”
Of the many positions she plays across all of her sports, being a softball pitcher, with its specialized routines, might take the most work, and Wells is grateful for those helping her put in extra work.
“One of my most influential coaches is my pitching coach, Sarah Bils. She believed in me and has taught me to work hard to become a better pitcher.”
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