“I like basketball, but I play it to keep me in shape for softball,” she said. “I love our team. We’re cohesive, like sisters, relying on each other. We have positive team morale and a great support system.” 

She has experienced that first-hand. At the start of this softball season, Salazar-Bell struggled with her hitting. 

“I was trying to pull myself out of a slump, and it was great to have the team behind me reminding me that I could do it,” she said. “Then I homered in St. George, so it was really nice to have that moment with the team.” 

 Hillcrest High participated in a two-day tournament in St. George, facing four teams. 

“We won one and lost four, but we played some good out-of-state competition,” said coach Anthony Ricci. “Sky hit a couple home runs over the weekend in St. George. She has a phenomenal bat. I moved her over to first base and she's the wall. She has really stepped up as a senior, but our freshman Bailey Terry also is playing well. She hit a couple walk-offs. The game we won in St. George, she hit a walk-off single to win the game. She’s hit a three-run home run. I have some good bats and good gloves.” 

Salazar-Bell’s first homerun this season in St. George added to her impressive high school career, where she has homered every year. Early in the season, she led her team with three home runs and 11 stolen bases. She also had one triple, five doubles and 15 RBIs. 

“I love being able to hit the ball and throw and have things come together,” she said. “Our team is projected to do low this year because we lost some big-name seniors, but we have a good freshmen class and already our team is looking great. I think we’ll do well in region and give it a tough fight like we did last year.” 

 The team consists of three seniors—Salazar-Bell, four-year player Nyomi Houston and three-year player Dayana Mulamba—a couple juniors and five underclassmen starting for varsity. 

“In region, Stansbury or Tooele still will be our toughest competition,” Ricci said. “We'll compete well; they'll be close games all the way to the end of seven innings. I'm hoping we're at the top of the region. That's always the goal.” 

 For Salazar-Bell, the relationships with her teammates are central to their success. 

 “I love seeing the team come together; some of the girls on the team, I'd walk past in the hallways and I wouldn't even know them, and now I'm having full conversations with them. That community is important whether it’s talking to each other or cheering loudly. Being accepting, patience and understanding that people are coming in at different levels are the keys to us working together,” said Salazar-Bell, who is team captain along with Houston and Avilynn Godfrey. 

Although Salazar-Bell initially preferred fielding over hitting, that preference has changed. 

“I used to prefer fielding because I felt more comfortable fielding, but once I got my groove and started hitting hard, hitting has become my favorite part. It's more pressure than fielding because everyone's watching you at bat, and you get so many pitches, but I don’t focus on homeruns. I have a routine. I move the dirt around, look at my bat and point and then I go. That helps me center myself. I tell myself ‘Base hit, base hit, base hit’ so I'm thinking about a positive outcome,” she said. 

 Salazar-Bell described most of her homeruns as “good line drives over the fence. I'd say my homeruns are accidental hits. I swing out of my shoes, so I don't try for a homerun.” 

 Though she’s passionate about softball and is considering her college opportunities, there was a time when she considered walking away from the sport. 

“Ricci helped me fall in love with the sport again,” she said, saying at one point, she felt her self-worth was determined how well she played. “When I played bad, I would sob and sob and sob, and it wasn't enjoyable to me anymore. Ricci reformed my mindset toward the game and dealing with pressure. It was life-changing because it didn’t just translate to softball, it translated to my life. So, when I deal with stressful situations, I can take a second and know everything is going to be OK. I’ve been able to change my attitude toward school, sports, everything and work toward what I want to achieve.” 

 Looking ahead, Salazar-Bell, who serves on the school athletic leadership academy, envisions a future in social work and becoming a congresswoman, hoping to “make a difference in the world.” 

“I want to be able to help kids out of tough situations, because I have found myself in some situations when I hoped there would be people who would step in and help,” she said. “I had a cousin commit suicide a couple years ago and that took my world. It's important to catch different cues that kids are kind of going through a rough time; it's important for kids to be seen and to be heard because a conversation can make the biggest change.” 

Her experience with the school’s Peer Leadership Team also helped shape her career aspirations. 

“I love working with kids and have realized it's important for people to be educated and be empathetic. I want to bring that to the world,” said the honor roll student. 

For now, her focus remains on the upcoming softball season before graduation. She hopes to win several region games before the state playoffs begin in May, with the finals scheduled for May 15-16 at Brigham Young University. 

Ricci said leading into the playoffs, the Huskies’ schedule was packed with three games each week. 

“We have more games than we have practice,” he said. 

The regular season was slated to conclude with a game against nearby Jordan High on April 29. 

“We’ll celebrate afterwards with a barbecue together,” Ricci said. “Then, we’ll be ready for the playoffs three or four days later.”