Wilcox makes difference on, off softball field

Fred Wilcox, left, and Ella Wilcox display
the first-place plaque after Ella's team, the
New England Elite, finished first in the 
Snowball Smash in Bedford, New Hampshire
on Saturday, Feb. 26.
PHOTO BY JAIMIE KIMBALL

By Matt Pascarella

Whether you see her at first base, shortstop or in the outfield, Windham junior Ella Wilcox is a bonafide softball star.

Wilcox comes from a softball family. She began playing in tee ball when she was 5 and eventually moved up to travel softball when she turned 10.

Recently Wilcox and her New England Elite softball team won the Snowball Smash, a one-day indoor softball tournament in Bedford, New Hampshire.

According to Wilcox, it felt good for her team to come in first place because it’s a great bunch of girls who push each other to do their best.

The high school spring softball season is nearing, and Wilcox has been practicing almost every day attending the live hitting sessions at “The Cages,” a softball and baseball facility in Gray.

“This season I am looking forward to playing competitively. After a great season last year, I am ready to see what we are capable of this year,” said Wilcox.

Her father, Windham High softball coach Fred Wilcox has enjoyed coaching Ella all her life.

“She’s so easygoing and a great student of the game,” he said. She’s the epitome of a team player. She will play anywhere we need her to, and she’ll play her heart out. She knows all the positions and plays them very well.”

Coach Wilcox said that Ella is a strong competitor with an extremely high softball IQ which shows on the field and in the dugout. She is always looking for the next defensive play and works hard to make adjustments on a pitch-by-pitch basis.

She’s played in a variety of situations and understands what to do with the ball and where she needs to make a play.

Coach Wilcox said Ella has been surrounded by many great players and teammates her whole life and they’ve all made each other better. 

Outside of softball and being a three-sport athlete, Wilcox is strong academically. She’s a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honors Society, is her Class Treasurer and serves on the Prom Committee.

Ella Wilcox said that her father pushes her to work her hardest both on and off the field.

She said that he couldn’t be prouder of her and all the hard work she’s put in and looks forward to seeing what the future will bring for her.

“Ella is a leader on the field,” said Windham sophomore and teammate Brooke Gerry. “She works hard and has high expectations of herself and her teammates. She wants the rest of her teammates to work hard too, so we can be successful.”

Gerry said Ella is a great friend. She and Wilcox have been playing together for five or six years on different teams, and Wilcox is always there for her teammates no matter what.

She said Ella is always finding ways to bring her teammates together and she helps players on the field and her teammates with academics off the field.

Ella Wilcox said she wants to make the most of her remaining seasons at Windham High. She’d like for the team to have a solid playoff run and win a state championship.

“I know that there is a lot of great talent in Windham right now,” she said. “So, I think that there is a high possibility of this happening.” <