Relationships are an important part of Hilldale junior Charlee Medley’s life. Whether it’s her relationship with God or her teammates, she values those as much as the outcome of the softball games she plays. “I got started in softball when a friend of my mom’s daughter was playing and so I got involved and started playing travel ball right away and still do. I like travel ball because I form a lot of strong relationships there and don’t have to worry as much about the outcome of the games as I do in school ball,” said Medley. Charlee plays shortstop for coach Darren Riddle now, though she started out in the outfield at Hilldale. “I like playing shortstop the best. I’ve played it most of the time I’ve played softball, and I feel like I can play a bigger role for the team there and be active for the whole game.” In fact, one of her role models is a former Hornet infielder, Kensley Allen. “She had such a good attitude and was a real encourager to the rest of us,” said Charlee. Though the Hornets have a winning record and are in a good position to make the playoffs, it hasn’t been quite the season Medley had hoped for. “We lost a lot of seniors this year and so we got off to kind of a slow start, and we’ve had to focus on what we need to do without them utilizing the talents we have.” Charlee, who also plays basketball, is active in other school activities such as National Honor Society, Nike Club which focuses on community projects and the Muskogee Youth Leadership program as well as being active in her church youth group. And even though she’s not what you might consider a team leader as a junior, Charlee feels like she has an important role to fill on the team. “I think my role on the team this year is a spiritual one to lead our team through faith and our walk with Jesus which to me is more important than the outcome of any softball game.”
