Menu
East Carter's German touch
ELLSINORE — She was a stranger from a different land and became an important cog in the East Carter softball machine.
But more than that, Mia Niesters of just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, became a friend an inspiration and even a little bit of a sensei on how to go about a challenge head on and with a smile.
Just like that, as soon as Niesters made her impact she has to return to her home in the first week of January and not before an impact was made on her and those around her.
The tennis player, dancer and acrobatics athlete in Niesters was introduced to a whole new sport with a whole different type of discipline after spending her youth as a tennis player, dancer and acrobatics participant.
“Coming in, she had absolutely no experience and very little, if any, knowledge of the sport,” East Carter softball head coach Teresa Kearbey said. “After talking to her host family member, Tiffany Parson, who is an alumni softball player at East Carter, she informed me that when she asked Mia if she was interested in playing softball, Mia replied, ‘What’s that?’ So, Tiffany showed her a YouTube video.
“After hearing this, I explained to Tiffany that we would try to get her in a ball game and pray she didn’t get hurt but it was slim due to an injury.”
But Niesters is German and that can only mean a drive to be as good as possible at the task in front of them.
Niesters would not settle or allow her “newness” to be an excuse to not get better.
Teammate Mykencie Hutchinson also learned a new approach to sport through Niesters.
“She always had a good attitude no matter what was happening and always put everyone in a better mood,” Hutchinson said. “She tried really hard. Her first practices, she tried everything we gave to her and gave all her effort.”
Karla Ochoa also saw firsthand the German industriousness at work.
“When she was first learning what to do and we would explain it to her, she would just listen and nod and not complain or anything,” Ochoa said. “I think all of us learned something from her.”
They also learned how to shout, “Let’s go,” in German and how to tell each other “I love you.”
Kearbey watched as her import player slowly figured things out.
“At the first practice we explained to her about running the bases and showed her how,” Kearbey said. “I am not sure if this is just her nature or a German culture trait, but, with each practice she showed tremendous strides of improvement, she had no fear at the plate or catching a ball - such a determined girl.
“Even though her mechanics lacked in some areas, her work ethic on and off the field made up for it. My assistant and I were extremely impressed.”
Then of course came the time when the Lady Redbirds had to deal with some untimely injuries to the lineup and Niesters had to step in and step up.
“We decided to give her a shot at playing and she didn’t hesitate or seem nervous,” Kearbey said. “In that first game Mia went 1-for-2 at the plate and 1-for- 1 in the field. This was against a Class 3 team who ended up winning their district. We all went nuts with excitement.
“The girls enjoyed Mia tremendously. She fit in so well you would tend to forget she was from a different country. They worked with her and spent a lot of time with her outside of school.”
The players also took note of how much Niesters took on more responsibility in the light of the injuries that plagued the squad.
“She stepped up a lot during the middle of our season,” Hutchinson said. “She took the role and went with it. She did better than I thought she would. She did better than some of our players that had been playing for years.”
Niesters played in 17 games and in the ones she didn’t, she remained a positive force in the dugout with a bubbly, smiling personality.
“I really enjoyed the sport and I wish I could play it all the time, every season,” Niesters said. “It is interesting because during the game, there are two sides and when you are hitting, you are all by yourself and it’s all on you.
“I think it’s exciting to try new things and understand the sport. Knowing all the rules was the hardest part and probably hitting correctly.”
Another adjustment to the American way of sport, was learning that your school has teams, whereas in Germany, school is not disrupted by sports and athletes participate for clubs or academies outside their educational hours.
Niesters ended up with four hits, two against Seymour, three putouts and one assist. Not bad for a young lady who had never even seen a softball before August.
After her first hit, Niesters actually came around to score.
“I came to the dugout and told the girls, ‘I just scored for the first time,’” she said. “It was really exciting. I didn’t even hear the people around me and when I saw the video (later) they were so loud. It was crazy.”
Niesters’ impact on those around the Lady Redbirds resonated.
“We honored her at one of the basketball games and she was presented the Most Improved Player Award and a certificate for hardest worker,” Kearbey said. “She will be returning home very shortly and we wanted her to know how much we have enjoyed having her as a student and a Lady Redbird softball player. She will always be an East Carter Lady Redbird.”
Niesters admitted that the gesture at the basketball game led her to be “sitting in front of the whole school crying.”
Niesters will also be forever in the hearts of her teammates. She needs to return after five months since Germany won’t allow her East Carter grades to transfer and she would prefer not to repeat an entire school year.
“She taught me not to be scared of new things and if there are things that you don’t know, you can always learn them and be good at them,” Ochoa said. “I started tearing up when she was talking to you.”
“It’s going to be bad when she leaves,” Hutchinson said. “She fit in so well with our friend group. We’ve gotten so close with her. It’s going to be awful when she leaves.”
But, alas, the story may not have ended just yet as Niesters aims to potentially return to the United States and Southeast Missouri for college after graduating from German high school in 2025 — kids there take 13 years of primary and secondary education combined.
“I want to spend more time here and maybe come back for school,” she said. “I am not settled yet. My friends and the environment I live in is so different and it became my second home.
“My host mom want me to go to (Twin Rivers College), but maybe there will be a bigger college somewhere and not too far away.”
Any softball in Niesters’ future when she returns to her homeland.
“I Googled and there are no softball fields around me,” Niesters said. “The only thing I could find was baseball and that’s an hour away from me. I wish I could continue playing it, but I don’t think that will work out.”