Softball has been a staple of American recreation for over a century, its roots stretching back to a Thanksgiving Day game in Chicago in 1887.

In the years since, what began as a game for male athletes has evolved into a strong and recognizable platform for girls and women to showcase their teamwork, strengths and determination.

Fittingly, in the midst of Women’s History Month, one local woman is working to revive softball in Plymouth and return it to its former glory.

That woman is Morgan Standle, who has been the driving force behind the effort to reestablish a girl’s softball team, providing local girls with the chance for another recreational outlet and to bring the accolades and avenues to scholarships that the sport provides.

For Standle, reviving the game of softball has been an endeavor that is near and dear to her heart. As a one time student athlete and softball enthusiast herself, she is eager to see the game experience a local resurgence and see it flourish like other sporting events.

“I was born and raised a Mizell, so softball, baseball, both sides of my family played so they’re all in my blood,” she says proudly. “I played ball all throughout high school right here in Plymouth.”

Now she tells it, even after graduating high school, her love affair with softball continued, leading to opportunities and an unexpected romance.

“I ended up playing with the adult league that we used to have down on Wilson Street for a couple of years. That’s actually where I met my husband, too,” she says.

Unfortunately, that adult league would dissolve, and she would turn her attention to motherhood. Fortunately, her own children would be involved in the game of T-ball, leading her right back via a youth coaching position, reigniting her passions.

“When my son started playing T-ball in Jamesville, I’d help coach his teams, and then when my daughter started playing, I started being more involved in the softball side of coaching,” she says. “I did regular spring seasons, my daughter ended up on All-Stars, so I was an assistant coach for the first ever 6U Jamesville All- Stars team...“