Tahlequah senior Alayna Stopp will be making up for lost time on the softball diamond this fall after missing all of last season while rehabbing from a knee injury suffered at the end of her sophomore season. “Alayna worked her way into our starting lineup her freshman year and was with us when we went to state in 2023 playing second base, the outfield, and doing some pitching,” said coach Chris Ray. “With her out of action last year we had to play a couple of players who didn’t have any experience at second base and Alayna was at all the practices and games she could be acting like an assistant and coaching up with those girls, giving them tips and cheering them on and encouraging them.” Needless to say, sitting out was a pretty frustrating experience for someone that had played the sport since she was around four. “Rehabbing was tough and pretty frustrating,” acknowledged Stopp who is also a point guard on the Lady Tiger basketball team. “but being able to support the team was good and kept me involved. I liked to cheer on the bench and then encourage the girls when they came off the field.” Alayna first got interested in softball watching her sister Tessareese play in high school and says she likes the camaraderie and excitement of the game. Ray is looking forward to having Alayna back at second base this fall. “Alayna has a very high softball IQ,” said Ray. “She’s rarely caught out of position and on offense she knows her job at the plate is to either get on or move runners along. She’s a good solid player that we’ve fortunate to have on our team for four years.” As a senior. Stopp knows that taking on leadership responsibilities will be one of her jobs this year. “I think a good leader is someone that is able to talk to her teammates one-on-one and understand them as players.” She says her main goal this year is to do whatever she can to help her team win.