Casey McNulty is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Westwood High School for AZPreps365.com

It's the bottom of the seventh inning. The Westwood Warriors are playing at the West Point Dragons, and the Warriors just scored 11 runs during their last at-bat to erase a five-run deficit. Freshman pitcher Lilly Hutchison is in the circle for the Warriors, hoping to put the game away and give her team the win.

However, the pressure is stifling for the freshman.

Hutchison turns to senior captain Hope Hutchins on the diamond and motions her over with her hand. The young pitcher confides in the veteran captain about the pressure she feels to win the game, but Hutchins offers a sense of calm.

"Just pitch the ball," Hutchins said. "We got your back."

The Warriors ended up winning the game 15-10, holding the Dragons to just one run in the seventh, and it's all thanks to Hutchins' reassurance during the most crucial part of the game.

But the senior hasn't always been the backbone of Westwood softball, as it took her some time to grow into the role.

Originally, Hutchins began her high school softball career at Mesa Mountain View, one of Westwood's region rivals.

During Hutchins' freshman year on the Mountain View softball team, she said her teammates felt they had to compete against each other for time on the field. This created a culture in which players would possibly get benched if they made a mistake.

In an atmosphere where Hutchins’ expectation was to be perfect all the time, she crumbled under the pressure and experienced depression as a result.

Recognizing that playing for Mountain View was affecting her mental health, Hutchins knew she needed a change.

"I just realized Mountain View is not the school for me," Hutchins said. "I just needed a fresh start and to get out of there."

Hutchins transferred to Westwood for her sophomore year. Luckily, she had some familiar faces in her new environment since her cousins and longtime friend, senior Navi Brinkerhoff, attended the school.

Yet, the transition was anything but easy for Hutchins, as she was still battling with her mental health.

Head coach of the Westwood softball program, Alyssa Dale, saw Hutchins' struggles firsthand.

"I can think of just a couple times during the school day, having a really hard time, where I found [Hutchins] in a locker room really emotional and struggling, and we just sat and let her cry," Dale said.

To ease her adjustment to a new environment, Hutchins began going to therapy and was put on medication to help with her depression.

In addition, her participation in Westwood's softball and volleyball teams contributed to her recovery. 

"Softball and volleyball were outlets," Hutchins said. "I just kind of forgot about everything and could just play and have no stresses."

Hutchins' connection to the two sports runs deep, but she has always felt a stronger connection to softball. Her mom played softball in college, and Hutchins was introduced to the sport at an early age with T-ball.

"I played a bunch of different sports when I was little," Hutchins said. "From then on, I just kind of chose softball to be my favorite and stuck with that."

Despite her battles with mental health, it was evident Hutchins had a knack for the game when she transferred to Westwood, and Dale immediately took notice.

"[Hutchins] came here and skill-wise was one of our best players," Dale said. "It put her in sort of a leadership role right away, just because she had the talent."

In a team culture that revolves around togetherness and uplifting others, Hutchins became more comfortable around the Westwood softball team. This helped her gain confidence in herself and her leadership abilities.

Now, in her third year on the team, Hutchins was awarded the honor of being one of the team's captains. In Dale's eyes, Hutchins has always been a leader, but the senior's growth has been ten-fold since assuming her new role.

"She's vocal, making team plans, and helping the team get together," Dale said. "I didn't even have to tell her. She has just stepped up and done it all on her own, and it's been so awesome to see."

Brinkerhoff, who has been a close friend of Hutchins for about 10 years and is also team captain, can attest to Hutchins' growth as a person and a leader.

"I feel like the most changes she has had have been in the last three years since she came to Westwood," Brinkerhoff said. "She's a little more let loose and emotional, and she probably builds better relationships with people than I do."

The most significant change that Brinkerhoff has seen in Hutchins is how well she has come to know herself, and Hutchins' newfound confidence has been the driving factor that has helped her support her teammates.

"You have to know yourself before you can help everyone around you," Brinkerhoff said. "It was crazy to see her become confident and sure of herself, and then it led her to be able to be confident in our teammates around her and be able to uplift others."