Comanche Athlete Makes it to State

Dakota Schickedanz is a junior on the Piedmont Softball team which won state on October 18.

She is the daughter of Alan and Deborah Schickedanz, granddaughter of Darlene Holmes and great-granddaughter of Lindsay and Rhoda Tate Nevaquaya.

The state competition lasted three days.

“Of course, like everybody was nervous at first because like, I mean, it's State. And when we played the first team, it started getting like casual, started getting like, ‘Okay, we got this,’ and they all started calming down, and they did their best, they did. And then, when we got to the actual state, the parents went all out,” Schickedanz said. “They had pans and everything for the student sections, and it was crazy. But, I mean, the girls did really good. They played their hardest, they really tried, but it was crazy, it was hectic. That was my first time being at state, so it was a lot different from being in the stands from being in the dugout.”

When the team won, she felt a lot of excitement.

“It was, I can't even describe it. It's like in the moment, you're like, you're just so excited you can't think,” Schickedanz said. “And we were in the dugout, and they were, ‘Shibby’ was pitching, Peyten Schibbelhute, she's our pitcher, and, or she's our varsity starter pitcher, and she was pitching, and the girl that was up to bat, we had two outs, the girl that was up to bat hit the ball to third base, to our third baseman, Tayvin Davis, and she threw it to first, and me and Paige and Paisley were waiting on the sidelines, waiting to just run out there and dogpile on everyone. And so, she made the out, and me and Paige were already on our way to the steps, and we just ran out there. And everybody just starts dogpiling, and all the coaches start hugging and like celebrating each other, and it was just, it was awesome.”

She said last year, she wasn’t on varsity.

“Sat with my best friend's parents, and it was different from cheering them on and all that stuff, and not being nervous, but when you're in there, and even though you're not playing, it's still get the nerves going and everything, and cheering them on and stuff from the dugout,” Schickedanz said. “You can tell them, ‘Hey, you're okay,’ if they did something bad, and cheering them on and helping them feel better. And you didn't get to do that when you were in the stands because you can't just walk up to them and be like, ‘Hey, shake it off,’ because they're not going to really listen to you.”

 She said it took a lot of training for the team to make it to State.

“They made us practice almost every day,” Schickedanz said.

She said a lot of the athletes practice outside of school.

“A lot of other people practice outside of it, like outside of school,” Schickedanz said. “So, they go to hitting lessons, and my friend Hannah she teaches little kids how to pitch. So, outside of that, she, you know, focuses on pitching and all that stuff. We all work individually, but when we're all together, it's just, it's fun, and we really try hard.”
 

She said her mentor is Tylar Short.

“She rarely ever, like, messes up or does something, but when she does, she takes it really hard. And it doesn't last long. She kind of gets over it. She, like, tells herself, ‘Like, okay, it's going to be okay.’ And she just, like, I want to have her attitude towards the game,” Schickedanz said. “Like, I want to, like, if I make a mistake, okay, like, just shake it off. So, I really look up to her.”

In her downtime, Schickedanz reads books, works at a retirement home in Edmond and sometimes practices hitting in the backyard. Next year, she’ll compete in travel ball. She’s one of the older players on her travel ball team.

“I'm trying to become more of, like, a role model and, like, a leader of the team,” Schickedanz said. “And so, I'm trying to, like, because I'll be a senior next year. So, I'm trying to, like, get more, like, an attitude towards the game. Like, I'm more of, like, a leader role.”

She said she wants to work on her hitting and herself, which includes things that are important; however, with work and school, it’s hard to balance everything, but Schickedanz is confident she can do it.