NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State softball Class of 2024 is one of the largest in the program's history. 
 
A total of 10 players and one manager that have combined for more than 900 career starts and 1,000 games played will play the final three of their careers this weekend at the Demon Diamond.
 
Whether they were teammates for the past two seasons or since their arrival in Natchitoches in the Fall of 2020, the time spent playing the sport they love and building new friendships along the way will no doubt leave a lasting impact.
 
For a quartet of Demons however, the series against UIW this weekend is the culmination of nearly a decade of softball together.
 
Tristin Court, Kenzie Seely, Taylor Williams and Ashlyn Walker all began their competitive softball journey together nearly 10 years ago playing travel ball for Impact Gold and eventually Excel Elite.
 
Although never crossing paths on their individual high school teams that were scattered throughout the greater Dallas/Fort Worth region, they spent every summer together from the time they were 14 doing what they loved and establishing the basis for what has turned into lifelong connections.
 
"I was honestly a little afraid of Tristin the first time I met her," Seely laughed. "She went to throw down to second, but I didn't know that's what she was doing so she zoomed the ball at me and I thought 'she hates me'. We've been laughing about that ever since. 
 
"But you just spend so much time together talking about pitches you naturally talk about what's going on in your life too. We always had the juicy tea to tell each other. I think it's definitely your typical pitcher/catcher relationship."
 
The lone pitcher in the group, Seely had the opportunity to work closely with both Court and Walker, who each spent time behind the plate during their early years together as well as the past three seasons at NSU.
 
Seely spent just one season in the circle without one of her travel ball back stops behind the plate. Court played her freshman season at Louisiana Tech, earning a spot on the Conference-USA All-Freshman team, before transferring to NSU. Walker played two seasons at North Texas before making her way to Natchitoches prior to the 2023 season.
 
Court was NSU's primary catcher for the 2022 season, but with Walker joining the squad the next year, that allowed Court to find a home at third base where she has become one of the best at the position in the Southland Conference.
 
"It was like I had family and friends here already so that made it really an easy decision," Walker said about transferring to NSU and reuniting with Court, Seely and Williams. "They could introduce me to everyone and everything and I moved in with Taylor so it was really a great way to get started here."
 
Over the past three seasons either Court or Walker have been behind the plate for 292 of the 301.1 innings and more than 220 strikeouts Seely has thrown during that time. Each inning and strikeout cheered on by Williams from her spot in the field as a three-year starter for the Demons.
 
Their love and appreciation for each other grew, as most lasting relationship do, from the experiences they shared during those travel ball summers together. 
 
Memories on the field of winning a national title following their junior season, with Seely in the circle for both a critical late playoff game and the championship final, Walker accounting for all the offense in the win with a pair of home runs and Court blasting the longest home run Williams had ever seen in the title game.
 
The on-the-field bond was only strengthened by the typical teenage mischief during long tournament weekends on the road. Spending time at each other's houses just hanging out, making runs to Whataburger at 3 a.m., going to rodeos or backing into each other's brand-new cars. The last one will remain anonymous in this story.
 
"I'm so thankful this sport gave me the opportunity to create lifelong friendships with these girls," Court said. "I'm even more grateful that I get to finish my softball career with the people who have been there with me since the beginning."
 
The four long-time friends, along with the six other members of their graduating class, have shared in each other's successes and failures during their collective time in Natchitoches. Whether it's giving up a home run or two or an 0-for-10 stretch at the plate each one knows with absolute certainty they have the support of each other off the field.
 
"I can rely on them to sit there and just let me be absolutely crazy," Seely joked. "They just sit there for five minutes, not say a single word and then I'm good. Just get it out, whatever it is, and know they have my back."
 
Each one of the four players have set new career bests across a multitude of offensive, defensive and pitching categories this year.
 
Williams set new high in 12 offensive stats this year including a team-leading .333 batting average. Court hit four home runs, 15 doubles and drove in 31 RBI, nearly grabbing the team's triple crown. Walker ranks sixth in the nation in throwing out potential base stealers with 15, the third-best single-season mark in NSU history. Seely finished her career with her first 100 strikeout season, surpassing 100 innings pitched for the first time as well, with a new season-best in wins.
 
Having spent so much of their lives growing up together off the field as well, sharing tears, hugs, frustrations and worries about any and everything, the encouragement away from softball extends to an even deeper level for the quartet.
 
"It's easy for me to open up and talk about deep topics," Walker said receiving full agreement from the other three. "I was really quiet when I was younger and kept to myself. But being with them for so long, and definitely over the past two years, it's grown into a really mature kind of friendship that I can call any of them and talk about what I'm dealing with at the time. It's just easy with them."
 
It's easy to see the affection they have for each other, their teammates and the game that brought them all together each and every time they take the field.
 
It is also easy to see how much T-Will, Ash, TT and Kenz love, care for and admire each other when they used words like passionate, supportive, resilient, competitor, thoughtful, integrity, tough, understanding, driven, kind, inspirational, confident and encouraging to describe one another.
 
All characteristics that make for friendships and bonds that will undoubtedly transcend both time and distance.