NEW HOPE — At New Hope softball games, often the first thing you’ll hear from the Trojans dugout is the voice of Kensley Woolbright.
One of the outspoken leaders of the team, the senior has compiled a successful high school career full of awards, recognition and accomplishments.
While she’s signed to play volleyball at Itawamba Community College after being a mainstay for the Trojans on the court, helping guide the team to deep playoff runs, she could very well morph into a dual-sport athlete in Fulton.
On the field, her play speaks for itself, and she’s still got plenty of boxes left to tick in the circle.
“I would very much like to think I am a leader both on the field and court and off,” Woolbright said. “I am very vocal and loud, and probably talk a little too much. I constantly want my teammates to know what is going on around them and help keep everyone engaged.”
Woolbright entered her senior season for New Hope off the backs of a defensive MVP award at the Mississippi Association of Coaches Junior North/South All-Star Game, as well as receiving the Morris Hunter Sportsmanship Award.
That, plus being one of the marquee aces for the Trojans, meant that all eyes would be on her more than ever before. So far, she’s risen to the challenge.
“She’s a motivator,” New Hope head coach Casey Finch-Halford said. “She reflects after games and what we talk about, and she responds from a point of view that first accepts the things that she could have or will do better, and then, she encourages her teammates to rise up as well. Kensley’s a kid that you’ll never forget.”
As a senior, Woolbright has taken it upon herself to be one of the leaders on this team, but from talking with Finch-Halford, she’s exhibited those traits since first stepping on the field for New Hope.
From her start as a young seventh-grader, Woolbright never thought she would be in this position as a senior.
“I think being a true leader is knowing when to speak up and lead,” Woolbright said. “But also sitting back and listening to the opinions and voices of others is equally important. I don’t ever want my teammates to feel like I am ‘bossing’ them around, but instead encouraging, offering suggestions, and genuinely wanting to help them get better for the success of the team and program.”
Mutual respect and understanding between teammates has helped to create a strong team culture, something that New Hope looks to build off of when it comes to wins and losses.
Wrapping up senior year brings with it the emotions that have built up over high school, she said.
“I am truly so excited, yet heartbroken at the same time,” Woolbright said. “I can’t imagine not playing softball for this program and with these girls. I have had the honor of playing with some of the best athletes, and made some of the most amazing friendships and memories through this sport.
“I have been given opportunities through this sport I would’ve never dreamed of,” she added.
Woolbright will have this final season at New Hope to further make her mark amongst the greats in Trojan history, something her teammates and coaches alike are excited to be part of.
“You see exceptional characteristics in different athletes over the course of your career, and I am and have been fortunate to be able to coach quite a few that have ‘it’ factors,” Finch-Halford said. “She’s the type of kid you pray shows up in someone else in your program, and I’m just grateful that she’s helped foster some of those qualities in her teammates.”
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