Watching from the dugout, senior Allie Lovett locks her eyes with senior Haylee Epps, as she steps up to home plate for her turn to bat. At that moment, Allie knew something good was about to happen. Haylee was strong and mentally tough; Allie put all of her trust in her.
That was the trust that the pair had built over their many years of playing together — if Haylee was at the plate, Allie knew it would be good.
Allie and Haylee are the only two seniors on the softball team and serve as co-captains.
“[Allie] is caring,” Haylee said. “Whenever I need something, she’s always there. We’re always backing each other up, so it’s great to have her.”
The pair met in their elementary school years while playing in a recreational league. Haylee began playing the sport because of her mother, who also played softball, while Allie joined the team because her dad coached it.
“The girls you meet along the way [is my favorite part of softball],” Allie said. “I’ve made so many lifelong friends, like Haylee, and growing up with all of them is so fun.”
Haylee and Allie began playing on the varsity team during their freshman year. At the end of their freshman season, the softball team won the first district title in school history. That year was also the first year Chelsea Herndon became the team’s head coach.
“This was one of my first groups when I became a head coach, so they mean a lot to me,” Herndon said. “It’s going to be hard [to] see them [graduate] because they bring energy and leadership. They set the foundation for the culture I want to build.”
This season, the team is third in the district with a 6-2 record. Haylee said she is the type to take action and lead the team, while Allie said she is the type to provide encouragement and talk to the underclassmen if they are having a bad day.
“[This season has] been hard,” Allie said. “Sometimes, I get onto myself and I have to realize that I can’t shut down because people look at me to bring the energy and not hang my head. It’s been eye-opening to realize I can’t do that anymore.”
Allie plays third base while Haylee plays shortstop. Playing positions next to each other requires a lot of communication between them.
“They spend a lot of time outside of softball together,” Herndon said. “When you add in [that time,] it only makes it easier [for them] to communicate on the field and pick each other up.”
Next year, Haylee plans to attend The University of Oklahoma and major in imaging and radiology, while Allie plans to attend The University of Arkansas to major in psychology and later become a children’s therapist. Neither of them plan to pursue softball in college.
“It’s sad, but it’s also exciting because we get to start a new chapter of our life,” Haylee said. “We’ve given a lot to Hebron softball, so leaving this year is good for us.”
