By Emory Kouplen 

Healdton softball player Derrean Bray is a powerhouse on the field. Derrean is a baseman at Healdton High School and she has been playing in the same position since her t-ball years. What made Derrean start playing was her enrollment into a little league team. “What made me want to start playing softball is my mom enrolled me to play at 4 years old for just an extra activity. Over the summers playing little league I grew to love it. Then when I started tournament ball I loved the intense competition and it fueled my love for the game.”

Bray loves her sport for many different reasons. “What I enjoy the most about softball,” she shares, “is that I love the relationships I have made with coaches and teammates throughout the years. The discipline that it’s given me to work hard for  all my goals.  I love representing my school and every game I play.” While she does love her sport, loving a sport also comes with learning from it as well. “The best lesson I have learned from the sport is learning how to overcome failure. It’s a game of failure ,and you have to be mentally tough to shake it and move on.” As a senior, Derrean is a key leader for her team, but her leadership had been continually growing during her high school career because of those before her. “I actually learned how to become a leader when I had an amazing senior Macey Howell my freshman year. She showed what kind of senior I wanted to be to the underclassmen. I try to encourage them when they doubt themselves and have a good relationship with them on and off the field.” To those who want to pursue softball, Derrean says “ Softball is a competitive grind nonstop.   make The memories, make the relationships, and do it all. I would also like to shout out Piper Lawson our pitcher and our 3b Jeriann Riner, and Ramsey Webb. Those are friendships that the game has  brought me for life!”