On the inside: Standout players

Siloam Springs has had some ballplayers over the years that have stood out to me, not just for how they played on the field, but things they did off it.

On those early teams I covered, I think about players like Maci Lewis, who was a terrific all-around player that could do it all, hit, pitch, field. Or a Saralyn Pittman, Ashley Lasater, Britney Tennison, Olivia Moore, Rachel Huffman, all kids that worked hard under Coach Justin Blanchard, who managed the team through the 2013 season.

I think about a kid like Brittany Holmes, who Blanchard called a “cornerstone” player, who wasn’t the most talented but showed up every day ready to work and is now coaching in the Lincoln School District.

I think about Allison Long, who hit six home runs in the 2011 season, or the emergence of stars Haley Hunt and Abi Sislo in that same year.

Hunt, in particular, showed tremendous power with 10 home runs as a sophomore and eight more as a junior, while pitching a lot for the Lady Panthers too.

Haley Littlejohn played a number of different roles for the Lady Panthers during that time as well.

Then there were fun kids to be around like Heidi Fernandez, who always had a smile on her face and improved tremendously over the years. Or Kenlie Noel, who was one of the few four-sport standouts, participating in volleyball, basketball, softball and cheerleading.

And then I think about players on the most recent teams, kids like Ericka Galloway, Sydney Smith, Hilarie Buffington, Micah Curry, Jessie Robinson, Aislyn Burchette and many others that stuck with it as the Lady Panthers went through tough times, winning just six games total from 2017 to 2019.