As a key member of the Hilldale Lady Hornets fast pitch softball team, junior Kensley Allen has been to the pinnacle of success in high school as she played on last year’s team that went 24-10 on the season and made it to the state semifinals.

“Going to state last year was really exciting even though we lost in the semis,” said Allen who is also in the National Honor Society, Teens for Christ, and the Nike Club at Hilldale High.

In fact, her faith is a large part of who Kensley Allen is.

“The main motivator in my life is God because He’s given me the gifts to be able to play sports,” said Allen who has played first and third base primarily this season and who also plays on the Lady Hornets basketball team.

Kensley says that baseball and softball are big in her family and so she started playing when she was about three. Along the way there have been several folks who have influenced Kensley Allen and how she plays the game.

“I really enjoyed watching Paige Parker (standout pitcher at OU who led the Sooners to two national titles and is now an assistant coach at Utah). She was a great competitor and I’d like to feel that I’m that way too. I also learned a lot from my teammates Brooklyn Ellis and Lexi Cramp last year. They were great teammates to be around going to state.”

Though she is only a junior, she plays a big role in leadership on the softball team which has just one senior.

“I think being a good leader is about building people up and not tearing them down for every mistake. They also have to show good character by always doing what’s right.”

Although she still has a lot of time before deciding, Kensley Allen has already been thinking about how she wants to proceed after her high school days of playing are done.

“I want to go to a junior college and play softball for a couple of more years and then go on to OSU and eventually into medical school.”