Katiyana Mauga knew at a young age that she was exceptional at her sport. But it wasn’t softball. It was baseball.
Mauga started playing baseball at age 5, where she excelled so much at the sport that she wanted to continue playing baseball for years to come. Her parents, however, knew it would be difficult for a girl, regardless of how good she was, to compete with men as they started physically maturing.
“My parents told me ‘no’ because the guys would get stronger, taller and bigger than me,” Mauga said. “So they put me in softball.