SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Before eighth grade,
Daryn Siegel quit softball. Tired and burnt out from the pressure, playing wasn't worth it anymore.
No more early mornings. No more long practices after school. No more hauling equipment to weekend travel tournaments.
The pressure was off, but something felt off, too.
"I missed competing, I missed the camaraderie, and I missed having automatic best friends," said Siegel.
What she realized wasn't that she had stopped loving the game, but that she wasn't surrounded by the energy that allowed her passion to thrive. This understanding later guided her decision to play at UC Santa Barbara.
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Finding Home in Santa Barbara
During recruitment, Siegel's parents focused on ensuring she understood the importance of committing to a school for the school, not the sport.
"The first couple of recruitment camps I came to UCSB, I was timid and nervous. But then I got to know the former UCSB coaches really well while I was a camper, and when I'd come to the camps, they would always say things like, 'What's up, Daryn?' and it just made me feel good," said Siegel.
At 12:01 a.m. on September 1 of her junior year, Siegel received an email from UCSB offering her a spot on the softball team. A place that had once felt unknown was now her future home.
As a catcher for the team, Siegel sees the entire field from behind home plate. She's involved in every pitch, every sign, every turning point.
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The View Behind the Plate
"I'm rarely on the other side, I'm rarely facing the catcher. So when moments start to feel big, I feel like it's really important as a catcher to shrink the field and make things feel small and not as high stress," said Siegel.
This year, Siegel enters her fifth and last season with the team. With veteran experience, she is a leading voice for her teammates.
"I make sure that everyone feels heard, seen, and respected," Siegel said, "If you don't have everyone's trust, then why should you be the person that they turn to when things aren't going well?"
Siegel is a steady force both on the field and in numbers. With a career .964 fielding percentage, her presence has provided stability for Gaucho pitchers in high-pressure moments. In 2023, Siegel also earned All-Big West Honorable Mention while hitting .270 and driving in 24 runs, a season that solidified her as both a defensive force and a consistent contributor at the plate.
But just as her role solidified, her season came to a halt midway through her junior year.
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Perspective, Trust and One Last Season
After playing through hip pain for nearly two years, Siegel learned she had torn labrums in both hips, along with calcification that required surgery.
The recovery process took nine months, sidelining her during the very season her team won their conference.
"Sitting and watching was the worst," Siegel said, "That year the class above me was graduating, and those were some of my best friends. The other catcher, Ashley Donaldson, and I were so excited to enter her final season together and catch all the time. But then I got hurt, and I was on the bench. It was a bummer," said Siegel.
When she finally returned after nine months of rest, Siegel was cleared to go back to playing, but it wasn't the same. The pain still lingered.
"Last year, I was super angry because I wasn't doing as well, I didn't feel back to myself, so I would think, 'Why did I get these surgeries?'"
It took two full years and two seasons before Siegel felt back to normal. While challenging, the recovery period also came with a shift in her perspective.
"It taught me that everyone truly does have their role. There would be big situations where I had to keep my mind right in order to succeed and help the team, and if I had thought 'poor me' and not been a team player, then I could have let my team down," Siegel said. "I did the best that I could to be ready when they needed me. And even though I wasn't on the starting lineup, I definitely felt like I had a hand in winning the conference championship."
In the middle of her healing, the relationships around her mattered more than ever.
"There was a lot of dialogue between Coach Evans and me; there was a lot of positive back and forth. Making sure that I was checking in with her, making sure that she knew how I was feeling, and making sure I was doing everything that I needed to do to help the team," said Siegel.
"She creates an environment that breeds trust and belonging and makes you feel seen," Siegel added, "So I got really lucky with that."
