In baseball slang, when a ball is in a batter’s wheelhouse she knows that she’ll be able to hit it far.
“It’s your best shot at being successful,” says Olivia Malesku, a former Delta Heat player who has won several national and provincial titles. “The same goes for other things in life, too, like ‘Softball is in my wheelhouse.’ It’s where I’m comfortable or can have the most success.”
Last year, after graduating with a degree in kinesiology from the University of British Columbia while playing with the UBC Thunderbirds, Malesku opened Wheelhouse Softball in Delta. Her mission is to share her love of softball with girls and women, whether players want to pursue the sport or simply enjoy the comradery of her favourite game.
“I started playing softball when I was seven,” she says. “I just fell in love with it. I had such a good experience with my coaches, but when I got to the university level, I realized that that wasn’t everybody’s experience. I want to make sure that other players have a good experience by keeping that line of good coaching going.”
Her Delta Heat coaches always focused on making sure games and practices were fun. There was a competitive aspect, but the main goal was to enjoy the friendship of other players and improve skills. One coach’s outlook really resonated with her: “Just be better than you were yesterday.”
Malesku acknowledges that softball can be a slow game, especially for young players with energy to burn. That’s why she plans other skills-building games within the training.
Whether players discover that, like her, they want to compete at higher levels or simply want to gain skills, Malesku tailors her training to their personal goals.
“I do strength and conditioning for girls who want to pursue college softball or just go further in their sport. I’ve been through the university system, and I have a lot of friends who play. There’s a lot of pros-and-cons advice that I can share and give girls an idea of what to expect. There are so many options out there it can be overwhelming so hearing from someone who’s been through it is pretty beneficial.”
Malesku wants to give herself time to discover if owning a business is in her future wheelhouse. “Now that I’m home, I want to continue coaching as much as I can and if the business grows, that would be amazing. I love it so much that it doesn’t feel like work.”
You can find out more about her training and skills programs at www.wheeelhousesoftball.com. Details about her 2024 summer camp will soon be updated.
