MONTICELLO, Fla. (WTXL) - Aucilla Christian senior Kelly Horne has never not played in a State Championship game her entire high school softball career.
"I wanted to leave this place better than I found it when I first got here," she said. "Winning another State title would absolutely seal it. I just have to keep working hard, leave my print on my teammates, and just continue to work hard every day."
Hard work has paid off for Kelly. She's leading the team this season with a near .800 batting average, and this fall, she made things official with Troy University.
"It's super exciting to watch her be able to further her career," said head coach Becky Lauth. "She's a great kid and she deserves it. Her hard work and ethic, it inspires the other girls to want to work hard too."
"I am so excited to be able to play at the next level!" exclaimed Kelly. "I love this sport and I want to enjoy every game that I get to play."
Enjoying things is easy when you're at the top, even if that top spot, is unexpected.
"I was sitting in the auditorium, and they called my name, and I was very surprised. It was kind of shocking," she said of a recent academic announcement. "I just always wanted to keep my grades up, and keep it a 4.0. Valedictorian was never a goal, but I'm very glad it was achieved."
Kelly's never made a B- boasting a perfect 4.0 GPA.
"In the classroom, she's a hard worker and then it doesn't stop when she steps on this field," said coach Lauth. "She's always produced big things if you know what I mean, and so it's kind of one of those things where she's always excelled in everything that she's done."
Kelly looks to keep excelling all the way to a third straight State Championship.
"I think it would just tie it off with a bow," she said. "Going out with a bang, leaving my mark. I pray every day we can fulfill that and we can get the job done."
