JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland –
A Team Andrews Airman brought home gold and silver medals after representing the U.S. Air Force as a member of the All-Air Force Women's Softball Team in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and All-Armed Forces Women's Softball Team at the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame Complex in Edmond, Oklahoma, Sept. 14 to 29, 2014.
Senior Airman Humes tried out for the training camp after learning about the opportunity to play on an Air Force level team.
"I've played softball my entire life," said Senior Airman Nesha Humes, 11th Wing Public Affairs photojournalist. "Since joining the military I haven't been able to compete like I have in the past, so I wanted to prove to myself I was up for the challenge and fall back in love with the game."
Not knowing what to expect, she said she reached out to people who tried out, or played for, the Air Force Team before.
"I knew it'd be tough competition, but I submitted my form and prayed for the best," Humes said. "I was nervous after submitting the package because I didn't hear back from them for a while. It wasn't until my travel team coach called and told me those making the selections contacted her for a reference. I also had a solid reference from someone the All-Air Force Women's coach knew, who'd seen me play."
Senior Master Sgt. Salomon Vieyra, All-Air Force Women's Softball Team head coach, and Daniel Ayon, assistant head coach, from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, selected Humes for the team's training camp because they felt she had what they were looking for.
"She has a strong arm and speed, she's a good hitter, and she has a great team attitude," Vieyra said. "She was one of the players we selected because of her skills as an outfielder, but she can also play a very good second base."
The team welcomed 21 Airmen to the camp and selected 15 for the team.
"The first few days of camp, I was more excited than nervous," said Humes. "Even though I grew up playing all fast-pitch softball, these girls had mastered the game of slow-pitch softball and it was my first year playing slow pitch."
I knew if I came out with the mentality I wasn't going to match up, I wouldn't. But, I was confident in my abilities and I needed to control the things I could: my heart, my attitude and my hustle."
After five cuts, she was selected for the team and competed in the 2014 Armed Forces Championship at Fort Sill, Sept. 14 to 19.
"I was really confident in our team going into the tournament; we had a great group of girls," Humes said. "Our coaches were phenomenal and got us to play to a level where we were competitive and played our hearts out."
During the competition, her team lost their first game against the U.S. Army but then managed to win the remaining eight. During a rematch, Humes showcased her skills.
"With runners on first and second and only one out, Humes made a spectacular catch late in the game, deep left center for the second out," Vieyra said. "She was able to throw the ball in quickly to keep the runners from advancing; the Army didn't score that inning."
The Air Force Team won the game with a score of 2-1, giving them a better win-loss record against their competitors, earning them the gold medal taking the title from the two-time champion Army team.
"She was one of our top hitters for the All-Air Force and she was on track to repeat that performance until we had to sit her due to injury," said Ayon. "Nesha was battling through the injury almost from the beginning of camp, which is a true testament to her perseverance and talent, that toughness and her positive attitude were what was most impressive to me."
Event through the pain, Humes could not have felt better about the accomplishment.
"I was ecstatic," Humes said. "It felt so good to beat a tough team like the Army's. All our hard work in Texas paid off and we brought the gold back where it belonged."
Vieyra and Ayon, the winning team's coaches, were charged with selecting and coaching the 2014 Armed Forces Women's Softball Team to compete in the 2014 Amateur Softball Association's National Championships at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Humes was one of six Air Force women selected for the team along with four Army, three Navy and three Marines.
During the 2-day tournament, the team played six games.
"It was tough because we were facing other teams who have been together for years," Humes said. "I'm really proud of how well our team pulled together after one week. We came out of the loser's bracket to beat one of the top teams in the Nation and even though we fell just short of the gold, we competed extremely well and played with a lot of heart."