Senior softball girls excel
The five seniors on the Lady Blackhawk softball team are not only good athletes, but excellent students as well. They are involved in their community and school.
Nalea Holliday, No. 11, pitcher/middle infield (short stop), has played softball since she was 3 years old. She is the daughter of Nash and Candice Holliday.
“I was always round it. My dad got me into it kind of you,” she said. Her favorite part is hitting the ball and making plays. She said she tries to be a good team mate and be a leader. One of her most memorable moments was last year when the team went to the state semi-finals and the bus got stuck.
She credits coach Josh Reynolds as the “biggest mentor in my life for softball.”
Holliday is the outgoing president for Arkansas DECA, is on the National Honor Society, is class president, Student Council president, plays volleyball and softball and has a 4.1 grade point average. She plans to major in public relations and play softball at University of Arkansas, Rich Mountain. She has signed a letter of intent to play softball for the UofA, Rich Mountain.
Krysta Hatcher, No. 10, daughter of Amber and Jesse Hatcher, plays center field. She has been playing for 10 years.
“I like having team mates and how hard it is but how easy it is at the same time,” she said. One of her favorite memories is the team going to the state semifinals last year.
“Ashley Early was up to bat, it was full count and that was so scary. She got walked and we won. It was a really crazy moment,” she said. “It was like the best feeling ever.”
She plans to attend NorthWest Arkansas Community College and then later a university. She wants to be a special agent in the FBI.
Allie King, No. 19, plays outfield. She is the daughter of John E. and Mary King and has played ball for 10 years. She said watching her elder brother play baseball made her want to start playing. One of her favorite things about being on the softball team is all the friendships she has made and all the opportunities involved, including going to the state finals last year.
She is a member of the Hi Pals Club and the National Honor Society. She plans to attend the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, and become a surgical technician.
Lillian Murray, No. 15, second base, is the daughter of Steve and Emily Murray. She has been playing ball about seven years. She said she started because her “dad asked me if I wanted to play, so I did.”
Murray has a grade point average of 4.2 and is an AP scholar, is a member of the National Honor Society, AP scholar, Gifted and Talented program and is a youth leader at Rogers Christian Church. She plans to attend the University of Arkansas and study criminology to become a forensics lab technician.
Dallice White, No. 8, first base-man, is the daughter of Merrill and Darcy White. She has been playing ball for 12 years. She said she began playing t-ball with the boys, “but the boys didn’t actually pay attention to the ball.” She said her father then put her in softball. One of her favorite memories is making a home run in a game against HarBer this year.
She is a member of the Science Club, president of HOSA, a member of National Honor Society and Gifted and Talented.
White plans to attend Arkansas Tech and hopes to become a plastic surgeon.