Coweta junior infielder Kennedy Connell Smith has already packed a career’s worth of experience into three seasons with the Coweta High School softball program and she is not done yet.

Connell has helped the Lady Tigers reach the Class 5A state tournament in each of her three years of high school softball, and the versatile defender has done it while moving wherever her team needs her most. She typically lines up at third base, second base or shortstop, embracing the challenge of anchoring the infield.

“I’m most proud of having played in three 5A state tournaments in my three years of high school softball alongside my awesome teammates,” she said. “We’re looking to make it four next year.”

Softball has become more than a game for Connell. She says it has shaped her outlook on life, especially when it comes to handling adversity.

“Above all else, softball has taught me humility,” she said. “It’s shown me that failure is inevitable in life just as it is in the game. But the thing that truly matters is your reaction to that failure. You can choose to let it ruin the situation, or you can hold your head high and get back up. And when I do fail, I know that I have my family, my friends and my God to back me up.”

Connell credits former Coweta standout and current Oklahoma softball player Chaney Helton with showing her what leadership looks like.

“She was a perfect example of what a good teammate and leader should be,” Connell said. “She was always humble, hardworking and kind, but was never afraid to make all of us take accountability. I strive for underclassmen to be able to say the same about me.”

Whether it is in the field, at the plate or in the dugout, Connell aims to represent Coweta with pride, sportsmanship and positivity as she and her teammates chase another state tournament berth.