Why Owen softball's Mia Roland's most important piece of equipment may be a notebook

BLACK MOUNTAIN — Swain County pitcher Rylee Rawls caught Owen shortstop Mia Roland off guard when she threw an off-speed pitch after fouling off three consecutive pitches in the bottom of the first.

Roland swung early and chopped a ground ball to short. She reached first base safely on an error after the ball skirted through the shortstop’s legs.

The freshman eventually went around to score the first run of the game. After touching home plate, Roland went to the dugout, grabbed a notebook and started writing.

“It’s just to keep track of what I did good and what I can work on next time,” Roland said.

Whatever she jotted down worked when she faced Rawls again in the fourth inning. After fouling off two pitches and working the count to 2-2, she smashed a no-doubt two-run home run to center field. The homer gave Owen a three-run lead and the breathing room the Warlassies (16-2) needed to cruise to a 4-0 win on April 18.

Roland is batting .516 with 13 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 32 RBIs and 24 stolenbases, cementing her status as one of the best freshmen in the state.

Owen softball's Mia Roland understands power of words

Roland said she started keeping a notebook on hand for games and practices this season. She credits her grandfather and her travel ball coach with inspiring this habit.

“My grandfather was very key on keeping notes after lessons,” Roland said.

Her travel softball coach made everyone on the team keep a notebook. Roland said those journals are more for goal-setting.

Roland said that after an at-bat, she jots down how the pitcher pitched to her, what kind of pitches she threw and where she hit the ball. Underneath that, she writes down what she did well and what she could’ve done better.

She also believes it’s important to find something positive she did after every at-bat. But the notetaking isn’t all about the fundamentals.

“I also keep track of how my communication was during the game and how my attitude was,” Roland said.

Before stepping out of the dugout and onto the on-deck circle, she’ll go back and look at her notes from the previous at-bat like she did against Rawls and Swain County. Roland also likes to look at her notebook after games and before playing an opponent a second time.

“It helps me make a plan when I go up to bat and have a strong mental game and be prepared,” Roland said.

Mia Roland's mother, coach impressed with her diligence

Her mother, Nikki Roland, said she rarely sees her daughter without it. Mia Roland takes it with her to practices, games and school.

Nikki Roland knows a lot about what it takes to be successful on the softball field. She played for Owen and was a part of the program’s most recent state championship in 2000.

She said Mia Roland's self-reflection during games and practices is impressive, especially considering she’s just a freshman. Her mother believes Mia Roland keeps the notebook as a refresher on her ultimate goal.

“She just keeps that because she wants that constant reminder,” she said. “Her goal is to play at the collegiate level, so she’s doing everything that she can right now.”

Owen coach Pete Ledford first saw the notebook after the first game this season. He has never seen what’s inside her journal or been tempted to ask about what she writes.

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“I don’t ask her,” Ledford said. “I ain’t changing that mindset when she’s at the plate, in the field or whatever she’s doing.”

Nikki Roland saw the notebook the other day but didn’t bother to look inside. However, she believes the notebook’s days are numbered.

“It is falling apart," Nikki Roland. "She just said, ‘Hey, I need another one.’"

Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times and Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @zacharyahuber. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times and Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Why Owen softball's Mia Roland is taking notes on her freshman season