Hilldale senior pitcher Finlee Allred played a big part in what was a roller coaster season for the Lady Hornet softball team last year. By most standards they had a great year at 22-7 as they went into the fastpitch super-regionals. But a pair of losses to Tuttle ended the season short of their state tournament goal which Finlee says will help drive the team this fall. “The disappointing end to last season will push us this year, especially us seniors in our last year,” said Finlee. Allred describes herself as a late bloomer in softball who didn’t fall in love with the sport right away. “My parents brought up the idea of softball one day and so I got into T-ball around four or five and for a while I thought it wasn’t really my thing, but I eventually grew to love it and eventually got into travel ball which I played until this summer. A little later I decided I wanted to pitch so I took some lessons and decided right away that’s what I wanted to do,” said Finlee. And that pitching talent led to a highlight moment of her career. “We played Miami which is a big district rival of ours early in the season last year and they had one of the best hitters in the area (Sidney Forrester who will play at Missouri this year) and I was in the circle. I struggled a little in our first game and gave up some home runs, but we still won. We played them a couple of days later and I pitched well, kept Forrester in check, and we won in extra innings.” When asked about a role model for her softball career, Finlee was quick to point to her coach Darren Riddle. “I’ve looked up to a lot of people over the years but (coach) Riddle has probably had the most influence on me. He’s hard on me but I can handle it, and it pushes me to be better.” If she gets the chance, Allred says she would like to play college ball somewhere and would like to be remembered as someone that was always welcoming and not selfish, a motivator and a good example for the younger players.