DAVID HOLSTON | HPE Ledford shortstop Olivia Poplin excels in the field and at the plate as a team leader for the Panthers.

Really, you couldn't blame the opposition for being so short-sighted.

But after misjudging Olivia Poplin a wee bit the past few years, teams have made giant strides - at least in the respect category. They're still trying to solve the tall task of stopping the Ledford senior.

Small in stature at 4-feet-10, Poplin is a giant for the Panthers on the softball diamond. The right-handed shortstop boasts a batting average of .358 to go along with a team-leading six doubles, two triples and a team-best 16 RBIs.

And it's certainly a fair fight now. Poplin is a known commodity unable to surprise many teams any more - which is just too bad, senior teammate Emily Darr relayed with a smile.

"She's 4-10, so obviously they're not expecting a big hitter when she gets up," Darr explained of a scene that played out over and over again the past three years. "You see everyone move in when she comes up to bat and then she busts one over their heads to the fence. They're like, "Well, dang it, we should probably move back next time!' Now they know that when she comes up they need to move back or else they're going to be in trouble."

Poplin started playing softball in kindergarten and realized in middle school that she wanted to continue competing in college. She recently achieved that goal by signing with Mount Olive College in eastern North Carolina.

Poplin, who plans to major in business, picked the Trojans over Tusculum and a few Division III schools. Coach Jamie Kylis-Higginbotham called Poplin a D-I caliber recruit, and no doubt the D-II Conference Carolinas school was lucky to land Poplin.

Did her size scare off other college coaches?

"I don't see it as a hurdle," Poplin explained. "Yeah, some people kind of overlook me because of it, but I never looked at it that way. I always looked at it as, if I worked hard I could do something I really wanted to do."

That attitude is the main reason Poplin got her scholarship. Tangible numbers measured in feet and inches gave way to the intangibles of heart and determination when Poplin showed off her skills at numerous camps.

"They could see your work ethic that whole time you're there," Poplin said. "Anybody can have the natural ability. If you don't do your best to make yourself better, then it really doesn't do you any good."

Panthers coach Charlie Brown said Poplin's competitive drive makes her the first to practice and the last to leave.

"If she doesn't feel like she's had a good practice or she's not hitting good, we're in the cage throwing to her, hitting her ground balls after practice," Brown offered. "There's times we've got to tell her, "Olivia, we've got to go!' She's a great role model for the girls, a great hard worker the girls look up to."

With the leadership of seniors such as Poplin and Darr and the pitching of sophomore Kristen Murphy, Ledford currently stands 9-0 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Panthers have played some remarkable games against two-time defending 2A state champ Central Davidson the past few years, but each ended in heartbreak.

Now, the goal is to beat the Spartans again in the regular season and advance farther in the playoffs than anyone on this Ledford roster ever has.

"We've always been second to Central and this year we were finally able to break it open and take first place," said Darr, the starting catcher. "I just want our team to stay focused, because I think we really have a good chance of being top-four in the state this year."

That would be some ending to a senior season that began with a team-building sleep over and laser tag outing: "That was a lot of fun," Poplin confirmed with a grin. "That's one thing on this team we don't ever have to worry about. Our chemistry is really good this year."

And it would be quite the ending to a career that began when Poplin showed up for hitting drills the winter of her freshman year.

"I was pitching about halfway and she cranked one out of here after the second or third one," Brown recalled. "I was like, "Wow, she's got some pop.'

"Her size ... dynamite comes in small packages," Brown added with a shake of his head. "That is her, definitely. She's been the heart and soul of our program."

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