Bella Ortiz Embraces International Playing Experience

Playing for Puerto Rico’s U15 national team has provided Bella Ortiz with experiences she could have never imagined. She’s been able to visit different countries and learn to bond with teammates who don’t speak the same language.

During the process, she’s traveled to Puerto Rico to play in an event that allows fans to blare air horns, bang drums, and play tambourines to celebrate big plays.

“The feeling of playing in Puerto Rico is so much different from the US, because of the noise and the cheering,” Ortiz said. “It’s something that is so hard to talk about because others don’t really understand. Just playing in that tournament in that little section, it was such a game-changer to how I play now. If I hadn’t played in Puerto Rico, I probably wouldn’t have been as good as I am today.”

Ortiz, a 2029 recruit from Oviedo, Florida, started playing softball when she was 5. She also played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse before deciding to focus solely on softball. She started out playing mostly third and first base before moving into the circle to become a pitcher. 

“I wanted to become a pitcher to have a bigger impact on the team and to have a little more of an outcome to my team’s win,” said Ortiz, who plays for Top Gun 16U National Sciara for travel and The Geneva School for high school. “I wanted to have the ball on every play, and being a pitcher is so much more competitive in my opinion.”

Ortiz had to earn a chance to pitch. At first, she was told she wasn’t “pitcher ready” by a few coaches.

“I had to work on myself from within, keep pushing forward to work on my craft, and take all opportunities to get better physically and mentally,” she said. “This was one of the reasons I want to get into sports psychology so I can help the next generation of athletes work through adversity.”

Ortiz has been reading motivational books since she was 11. Her two favorites are The Energy Bus and Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence. 

“Those are two good books that I love reading to see insights on how we think and how our brain processes different information while we play the game or even in life,” Ortiz said. “I love reading and learning more about that.”

Ortiz has tried to put everything she reads into practice on the field. She doesn’t shy away from being put into stressful situations and embraces facing high-level competition.

“Although I am confident in the way I play, I am very coachable. I’m willing to learn from others so I can become a better player,” Ortiz said. “I’m very loud when I play. A lot of teams say that I’m annoyingly loud. I guess I love cheering for my teammates.”

Given all the time she’s spent reading about athletes trying to reach their potential, what advice would Ortiz give to other players?

“Just focus on the process,” she said. “There’s so many noises outside, whether it’s coaches, parents or other players, that will bring you down. So just focusing on the process, that’s what is going to get you there. Because it’s not going to be the people who talk bad about you or try to put you down. It’s going to be what you focus on.”