Three seniors on the varsity softball team — Alyssa Sneed, Ana Hawthorne and Lucy Crowder — committed to colleges on Nov. 8. Here is an introduction to each of the girls and what their goals for the future are.

Alyssa Sneed – Paris Junior College

Senior Alyssa Sneed is an outfielder for the team. She started playing T-ball because her sister used to play the sport.

“I enjoy [softball] so much,” Sneed said. “I love it. It’s like my escape from everything. I wouldn’t focus on anything but the sport and what I was doing [that] moment, and it encouraged me to get scholarships for college.”

Sneed said she has thought about quitting multiple times when she was not playing as well, but her successes keep her going. During her sophomore year, she went on a trip to College Station, Texas, with her select team, during a “crazy year” where her team performed well.

“The thought of success [keeps me going],” Sneed said. “The more I practice, the better I get. The harder I work, [the] more excited about the success that I get.”

Sneed is committed to Paris Junior College. She plans on pursuing a major in diagnostic medical sonography and becoming an ultrasound technician.

“I like the distance and the location,” Sneed said. “It’s only an hour and a half away, which isn’t that far, but it’s enough for me not to have to come home every weekend [and] close enough if I want to come home, I can.”

Ana Hawthorne – University of Dallas

Senior Ana Hawthorne is a pitcher for the team. She started playing six years ago when she first moved to Texas because softball was the first sport that her sister played.

“[I love] the adrenaline that I get from games and playing with the team,” Hawthorne said. “It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve done [while] being here.”

This is Hawthorne’s first year attending Hebron. She said she has moved schools almost every year due to a lack of accommodations for her learning disabilities. She said Hebron is helpful because the four classes per semester are easier to manage, rather than eight.

“It was a drastic change between school, work and time,” Hawthorne said. “It was hard to make friends, but after switching so many times, I learned to.”

Hawthorne is committed to the University of Dallas and pursuing a major in art, as well as studying business and marketing.

“While playing for most of the time this year, I didn’t know what I would do after that,” Hawthorne said. “I thought if I could get into college with the sport that I love to play, it would be more enjoyable.”

Lucy Crowder – University of central Arkansas

Senior Lucy Crowder is a pitcher for the team. She started playing when she was 8 years old because her parents wanted her to get her energy out.

“I was doing three different sports at the time, and softball was the only one I really fell in love with and wanted to keep doing,” Crowder said. “I liked that it was really competitive and [that] you can also make your own little family with each team you’re on.”

Softball and baseball can both be played as professional sports, but women’s pro-leagues are less popularly recognized, and more difficult to pursue as a career since female softball players make substantially less than male players. However, Crowder said she still wants to pursue softball as her career.

“I want to keep going,” Crowder said. “I want to go professional — it’s like the MLB for women — but they don’t have it in the country, so you have to do college softball in order to go into the pro-leagues; so that’s why I wanted to do it.”

Crowder is committed to the University of Central Arkansas and said she plans to pursue a major in exercise and sports science.

“[This commitment] means the world to me,” Crowder said. “I found my second home, and I’ll meet so many amazing girls over there.”