“Miley can play just about any position in the field and she’s the kind of player you wish you had more of.” That’s the way Fort Gibson softball coach Jerry Walker describes senior Miley Wafford as he talked about her versatility. “She’s primarily our center fielder but we had to use her last year in a tournament where we needed an extra pitcher, and she came in and did a good job. She did some catching in middle school and we may end up having to use her there this year. She’s a good hitter who can hit it, slap it and, occasionally, hit with some power,” said Walker. Last year Miley hit .345 and was named all-conference. In addition to softball, Wafford also plays basketball for the Tigers and was on Fort Gibson’s state championship golf team this past spring. “I like all the sports equally, I guess. When I’m in one season I sometimes which it was over so I could go on to the next one,” said Miley who is also in the National Honor Society and a member of the Native American club. “I really got interested in softball as we traveled around with my brother on his baseball travel team and I started playing in T-ball and have been at it ever since,” said the soft-spoke Wafford. Miley is the only senior on the softball team so the job of providing team leadership falls to her this year. “I like to lead by example. I remember when I was an underclassman, and the older girls would tell me to carry the balls in kind of a bossy fashion sometimes. But I believe in not asking the younger kids to do something that they don’t see me doing as well.” Given her skills and versatility, it should be no surprise that she has a couple of highlights in her softball career. “In my sophomore year we were in the playoffs, and we were down by three runs in the last inning with the bases loaded. I had not hit well the whole game, but I came up and got a hit and drove in three runs and we went on to win and then last year in a playoff game I hit my first homerun.” This upcoming season Miley says she would like to hit another homerun and help the Tigers go deeper in the playoffs. After high school she would like to play either softball or golf in college and study to be a dental hygienist. In her spare time Miley likes to go to the lake, read and be active in her church youth group.
Photos courtesy Michelle Spears Photgraphy
