A field of dreams first: Local middle school welcomes first girl to play on boys' baseball team
"My teammates, the school, my coach - they've all been really welcoming and I'm really thankful for that," Grace said.
WARRINGTON, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Meet baseball player Grace Murray.
The 13-year-old from Warrington, PA has been playing baseball since the age of 4. So, when she made it to middle school, she tried out for the Tamanend's boy's baseball team and got accepted.
With the welcoming arms of the Central Bucks School District and her teammates on the squad, she's thrived in her first year as team's catcher.
Grace says, "My teammates see me as any other teammate. Baseball is a team sport, not individual. We all rely on each other to win. My teammates, the school, my coach they've all been really welcoming and I'm really thankful for that."
Teammates Patrick Larkan and Bryan Raby agree. Patrick says, "She is very, very, very talented and she can hold her own out there. I say, if they can play get on out here!"
She hasn't considered a playing career in softball because baseball is all she's known. Playing with her father at a young age, she's spent her whole life on the baseball diamond.
"I see myself playing for the Phillies," she jokes. "I have a few things to teach Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. But in all seriousness, I hope to continue playing for the middle school team, and hopefully high school and college."
Her coach, Adam Ryan couldn't have been happier when he found out a girl would be trying out for the boys' team. "Like that famous line from The Sandlot: you play like a girl! I was super excited. And as soon as she stepped on to the field, I saw her determination and spark and fire to play baseball."
Check out Tamanend Middle School at https://www.cbsd.org/tamanend
