Beth Allin attended Prince George High School and graduated in 1995. Her senior year became a very memorable year as she helped her softball team move forward in games, making it to districts. Championships never come without working hard, though, and Beth Allin was highly dedicated to her team and her beloved sport. Now married and with two children, Beth Allin Whirley recounted her softball glory.

“I lived and breathed that sport,” Beth said. “It was a motivator.” During practices, the team would run the mile on the track, break into stations to work on individual aspects of the field, practice batting and fielding, run suicides, and run the stairs in N.B. Clements Junior High School. Practices typically took place from 3 pm – 5 pm every Monday – Friday.

Team members were encouraged to practice outside of team practices, and Beth took that advice to heart. “Me personally, every weekend I was at the batting cage,” Beth said. Beth’s father, Sam Allin, hammered nails into a softball to make a weighted ball for Beth to practice pitching with. Beth pitched at home to a wooden fence, eventually wearing holes in it.
When asked why she was so dedicated to practicing, Beth responded, “When you’re in a game, you can’t stop and ask your coach what to do. You have to think on your own.”

Practice was not all physical, though. “A lot of it was also mental preparation,” Beth said. “It was truly a team sport. You only succeeded if your teammates did well.”

The structure of the fields was different when Beth played softball. There was no scoreboard; the score was recorded by hand. Dug outs were uncovered, helmets had no face masks, and the fencing around the field, now 230 feet out, was 300 feet out. There were no outdoor batting cages, and the field house was reserved for the male teams. Games were free to watch, except for districts.

Uniforms consisted of a jersey, similar to a t-shirt, pants, long socks, and cleats. Uniforms were hand downs from the previous years. Jackets could be purchased with the players’ names.

Beth Allin received many awards in softball. With the number 7 proudly displayed on her jerseys, she took the positions of recover pitcher and first base her senior year. She achieved District MVP in her senior year, a .509 batting average, and 23 RBI. She also earned team district awards and district academic awards. Beth was also one of three players to receive regional awards.

Beth parted with words of advice to current and future softball players. “Practice hard, play hard. If you just goof off during practice, you won’t succeed in the game. You will play how you practice. Always strive to improve; there is always room for improvement. Don’t ever stop improving your skill.”