Britney Dalton gets one week off from work, and she’s using that time to drive 14 hours from Seymour to Viera, Florida, to watch her 11-year old daughter play in the United States Specialty Sports Association All American Games for fastpitch softball.

Jesalyn Hernandez, who plays for the local Seymour 12U Thunder Fastpitch team, went to a tryout for the All American Games, but Dalton didn’t want to get their hopes up.

Hernandez, who just recently turned 11 on Father’s Day, usually plays up in age. She should still be a part of 10U but plays 12U.

When they got the email that Hernandez was selected as an All American, both mom and daughter were overcome with joy. They later got to watch the selection show and see Hernandez’s name flash across the screen.

“First, we got the email, and then I saw my face, and I was tearing up and started crying,” Hernandez said. “My mom was crying, too, and it was the best time ever.”

“It was really exciting because it’s hard seeing exactly where she’s at because she’s playing up,” Dalton said. “I feel like you can see more of her faults and weaknesses when she plays against kids that are older. But when we saw that email, I was very proud of her. Definitely cried a little.”

Hernandez also was selected to play in the USSSA All-State games, but those take place when she will be traveling to Florida.

Hernandez plays catcher, and she said, “I love it. I like how I can throw to second base and I can block.”

She enjoys trying to catch people stealing.

“I can see from the corner of my eye if they are going to steal, so I can pop up and throw,” she explained.

She also takes it upon herself to always be communicating with her teammates, letting them know where’s the easiest out and what the defense should be doing.

“I focus a lot on it because I want them to know where’s the play so we can get outs and win the game,” she said.

“I think perfect,” Dalton said of her daughter playing catcher. “She’s got diagnosed ADHD, so to be a catcher and be all over the place, you really have to hone in your focus, so we joke that the catcher fulfills her ADHD needs. Having to keep track of where everyone is helps fulfill her need of keeping things organized. It’s a really good position for her.”

Hernandez is also a good hitter and added that she’s been working on slap hitting as of late.

She used to play soccer and do wrestling but remembers watching videos on her mom’s phone of softball players and wanted to try it.

Her first year trying to play softball was in 2020, so it got canceled due to COVID-19, but ever since then, Hernandez has fallen in love with the game.

“She has made a lot of really good improvement,” Dalton said.

As good as she is on the field, Hernandez also demonstrates a certain maturity off the field.

She is going into sixth grade at Immanuel Lutheran School and has good grades, and when asked what it will be like playing with girls from all over the country in Florida, Hernandez said, “I’m really excited because I get to see someone, and if one of them are down or head hanging, I would bring them up no matter what even if I don’t know them.”

As a mom, that’s something Dalton has been most proud of.

“It’s in those moments where I’ve seen the pitcher hit a batter, and sometimes, the batter goes down, and it doesn’t matter that that’s the opposing team, she throws her helmet off and she’s right there to check on them,” Dalton said. “That’s just who she is. She said she wants to play college ball, and we’ve heard people say you can make a good ball player, but you can’t make a good person. At the end of the day, she’s just a good person.”

Hernandez still has some tournaments left to compete in this summer with her Seymour Thunder Fastpitch team, such as playing in Greenwood this weekend.

She gave a detailed answer on where she wants to improve at with her game.

“I try to focus on hitting and blocking,” Hernandez said. “I don’t use my legs that much, and I keep fouling it off. I think I’m a little late sometimes, but I can get good hits.”

The USSSA All American Games will take place from July 31 to Aug. 5.

The first day is a ceremony, the second day is practices and the third day, Aug. 2, is when pool play begins. The bracket play starts Aug. 4 with the championship being played on that last day on Aug. 5.

“It’s actually really cool,” Hernandez said. “I’ve never been on a team that far away. I’m really excited. I’m very pumped up for it.”

“We’re pretty excited,” Dalton said. “We tried not to get our hopes up because we knew this was such a big deal. We’re going to try to make the best of it. I think this is kind of the first step of really showing her shine doing what she loves.”