Khloe Haile moved from Pittsburg to Buffalo Valley for her senior year last fall and it seems she might have been a missing piece of the puzzle for the Lady Buffaloes as they made it to the state fast pitch tournament for the first time in school history.
“Khloe was a real game changer for us,” said coach TJ Grey. “She started out in the middle of the lineup because of her power but about mid-season I moved her to leadoff because she swings the bat so well. In the circle, she pitched against all of the toughest teams including a big win for us in regionals when she entered in a relief role and helped us beat Kiowa.”
Khloe hit .495 in the fall with an on-base percentage of .582 and 55 RBIs. In the circle she was 13-4 with a 1.59 ERA.
Khloe says she has always admired the OU softball team as a role model and had a chance to meet some of them.
“I was at a game in 2017 and during a rain delay we were under the stands when Gracey Hatfield and Nicole Mendes came out and asked about the weather and we started talking and they got me an autographed ball from the whole team that ended up winning won the national championship that year. They’re phenomenal athletically but I’ve always admired how the team always talks about their faith and playing for Him and I think that’s really big and very cool.”
In addition to softball, Khloe also plays basketball, is active in her church youth group, and is in 4H where she is an ambassador and on the state leadership team. It was also in 4H that she started a project that has really blossomed.
“In 2017 as a 4H service project, I started this project called in Jesus Name We Play. I gather gently used sports equipment from people or schools and organize donating it to young athletes in the area. So far, we’ve handled 11,249 pieces of equipment valued at around $450,000 and touched 33,532 lives.”
As a senior newcomer to Buffalo Valley this year, Khloe wasn’t sure what kind of leadership role she might play but the other girls made her feel welcome.
“I think when I came here, they allowed me to step into a leadership role and I tried to set a good example that people would want to follow.”
Khloe will be taking her softball skills to Eastern State next fall and plans to keep In Jesus Name We Play going.
“It’s only about 30 miles to Wilburton so I plan to keep on doing the work for the next couple of years at least and then pass it on to my niece when I go to a four-year school.”
