The softball season is over for this year, and the seniors are sad to be leaving their teammates when they graduate this spring, especially Haley Gilmore. Senior Haley Gilmore has been playing softball since she was five years old, and she has been playing with the FHS softball team since her freshman year. She takes inspiration from Olympic softball gold medalist Jennie Finch.

“Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine! Softball is amazing that way as a sport. Everyone on the field has a slightly different ability that makes them perfect for their position,” encourages Finch.

Haley loves the mind aspect of softball; analyzing her surroundings and finding the quickest way to solve the problems around her thrills her. When asked if softball is harder than baseball, Haley replies that it definitely is because the smaller field makes for a faster game. There’s also less reaction time to hit anything because a successful fast-pitch pitcher can equal to a 90 mph MLB pitch. Haley also loves to play defense; it makes her anticipate more. She loves being a first baseman because she’s almost always in a play. For her, batting is too much pressure. She’d love to play with the glove all day.

Haley’s favorite softball memory is her first homerun because it was against a team that she was really competitive with and it motivated her team to work harder. Not only is her favorite memory about a homerun, but she also made the only homerun of this season. She says, “It was a great feeling, almost relief, to hit a homerun, but I was sad that none of my friends could do the same. I had been waiting for that hit my whole life. I’m glad I finally got it.”

Haley says that she’s going to miss her high school team. “These girls were my day and night routine! I miss not having them around all of the time. They were the absolute best family I could ask for,” she states. Sadly, Haley isn’t planning on playing softball in college because she wants to further her education at a higher-level university and strictly focus on her career. She would like to tell her team that they are great and that she loves them all dearly. She knows they’ll do exceptional things. She hopes that she can see their names on banners in the near future.