When senior Adyson Stansbury moved to SHS during her freshman year, another young future star had already lived and breathed the Cardinal red and white, Allyson Kiefner. This caused a rift between the future faces of the team.
According to current head coach James Thorpe, who was an assistant at the time, the immaturity of the young teenagers played a part in the feud.
“I wouldn’t say it’s jealousy, but (it’s) more competitiveness,” Thorpe said. “Challenging to each other, always used to being that person and maybe the other ones taking a little bit of the spotlight in this area and the other has it in this so it becomes a competitive nature for them.”
Although they didn’t start off on the right foot, they had no other choice but to play alongside one another. As they spent more time together, the tension dissolved and soon became fondness.
Now, as the clock ticks down
for the end of their SHS careers, the pair has grown into a one-two punch on and off the field.
They long toss as a pair. They work on trigonometry assignments together. They even work with each other at 7 Brew Coffee, further growing the bond they already shared.
Whether they are in class, the halls or the batting cages, the duo can look to each other for support in anything.
Their friendship has translated to success on the diamond.
Over their four years at SHS, both have shined with a bat in hand as two of the top infielders for teams of past and present.
According to maxpreps.com, Stansbury, the team’s ace, has earned a run average (ERA) of 0.522, 321 strikeouts and has stunned hitters with an opponent batting average of 0.250.
While she’s not on the rubber, her presence is felt in the batter’s box as a hitter.
She has a career 0.321 batting average with 72 hits, 46 runs scored and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.761 in 80 games.
When Stansbury takes the circle, Kiefner is the shortstop and the commander in the infield.
She has a similar stat line with a 0.201 career average with 44 hits, 38 runs scored and an OPS of 0.563 in 81 games.
After four years of hard work and dedication, it was finally time to make the next move.
Kiefner committed to Olney Central College, a community college located in Illinois, during the fall.
For Stansbury, the choice was a little tougher, but after going on a tour and having fortunate opportunities open up, she knew where she was going for the next two years.
“It was kind of awkward for me because I wasn’t planning on going there (and) it was just supposed to be a visit,” Stansbury said. “Then I ended up reaching back out to the coach and he offered me a full ride, paying for everything.”
After receiving this life-altering news, she immediately thought about Kiefner. “One of the things I specifically asked him was ‘could me and Ally share an apartment,’ and so once he said yes,…that was just kind of like my whole decision,” Stansbury said.
As the season rolls on and they move on from SHS, Thorpe believes they will continue to grow as players this season even while having pressure on their shoulders.
“Our team is more well rounded now, so everybody has their roles that they take care of to make our team complete,” Thorpe said. “But as long as they’re not putting pressure on themselves, they’ll be okay.”
Kiefner hopes that the future will be successful for both of them.
“I’m definitely looking forward to seeing her succeed (and) seeing my team succeed. I think we can probably win sectionals this year,” Kiefner said. “In college, I’m looking forward to seeing how far we can go together.”
