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You’re going to be praised and you’re going to be criticized.
Ignore both. Neither one matters. You may go 0-for-3 the night
before, but what people will remember is the long ball you sent
over the scoreboard, across the parking lot, and into the baseball
field, that they will remember.

Maybe the time at Unaka High when you launched one out in left
field that landed on the thirty-yard line of the football field, that
one people will be talking about for decades to come.

The true definition of confidence has nothing to do with other
people who surround us, and statistics are just numbers on a sheet of
paper.

The only place that confidence comes from is inside you. When
you make an error in the first inning that lets a girl make it to third
base with no outs, then you come up and make big plays, great stops,
and throw runners out from your knees, that’s confidence.

No one does this better than a Lady Ranger shortstop named Alana Parsons.

Alana started playing softball at the T-ball level. Her dad, who was a
standout athlete in three sports at Lee High, encouraged her to play.

In her younger years, Alana played softball and basketball. When she
started high school she knew she had to make a decision on which
sport to play because she wanted to spend 100-percent dedicated to
that sport, she knew she could never give up softball, so that’s what
she choose.

As a coach, you get very few super athletes who can dominate a game
and is a true leader. Coach Kenneth Chambers this year has one of those
players.

A winner is that person who gets up one more time than she’s knocked down.

Alana keeps getting up time after time. She has scratches on her legs and
bruises on her knees, battle scars of someone playing hard for their team.

Team it is for Alana she looks at sports as a team sport and always cheers
her teammates in every situation. The fan base at Unaka is awesome and
they support the Lady Rangers at home and at away games.

Alana loves playing at Happy Valley, she says you can see the field real
well there.

She was a first baseman for many years before moving to the shortstop position.
That gives her an advantage by knowing what a first baseman looks for and
when they will be ready for a catch.

Her timing is perfect, her throws are on target to her first baseman – sophomore
Taylor Grindstaff.

“Taylor is a good player, said, Coach Chambers. “That was Alana’s position
when she came to Unaka as a freshman. She wanted to play there but Alana
was too good of an athlete, I moved her to different positions and she is a big
part of us going to the state tournament. This year we played her at shortstop,
and she’s a good kid, a great teammate, and an excellent captain and leader
on the team.”

“We get pumped up for games, we get into our huddles, listen to music, because
we know even if we have beaten a team before we have to be ready,” Parsons
stated. “We knew we would probably be playing North Greene in the district
finals so we practiced on hitting what their pitcher threw.”

Alana just received word that she was the Valedictorian at Unaka.

The chosen valedictorian is traditionally the student with the highest academic
standing among their graduating class, and that standing is commonly determined
by a numerical formula for Grade Point Average (GPA), Alana’s GPA is 4.0 along
with six others at Unaka.

In Parson’s softball career at Unaka, she has hit 33 home runs hitting seven this season.
Her batting average is .463 with 28 runs batted in and she has scored 37 runs.

Jarfly Dugger who works with pitchers said Alana was as good as he has ever
seen and he’s watched them all.

She has one sister (Heather Beam) and a brother (Josh Guinn). She already has
her pharmacy tech certification and plans to study exercise science and Lees McRae
to become an athletic trainer.

Athletic Director Aaron Dugger said, “my daughter is eight-years-old and when she
gets to be 16 or 17 and acts like Alana, then we have done a good job raising her.
Her mom and dad should be proud, shes a special kid. In the District Championship
I couldn’t decide where to park, it was limited parking and I didn’t want my truck to
get hit.

When Alana batted she hit it way over my truck. Her power and softball ability
makes her a special person. If she doesn’t make All-State, then there shouldn’t be one.”