Riding a 19 game winning streak, the Leopard softball team starts the second round of the playoffs Friday night, taking on Royse City at A&M Commerce. The Red Ledger’s Katie Curry caught up with senior Stephanie Cunningham in the following Q&A:

The Red Ledger: How long have you been playing softball?

Cunningham: “I’ve played softball since I was 4 years old.”

The Red Ledger: Growing up, what sports did you get involved in?

Cunningham: “Softball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I played soccer until I was about nine, basketball I only played fourth grade because I was really bad, and volleyball I played all the way through my freshmen year.”

The Red Ledger: What drew you to softball?

Cunningham: “I felt like it was more competitive over all the other sports I have played. I wanted to play softball in college, it was my overall favorite.”

The Red Ledger: “With exposure to injuries over the years (back problems, broken fingers, etc), how has that affected your game?”

Cunningham: “Whenever you get hurt it makes you value the sport more whether it’s for a long or short amount of time and once your back it makes you work harder to get back to where you were.”

The Red Ledger: With a serious back injury that you have, how did it affect your future plans?

Cunningham: “I’m not going to be able to play softball in college because of my back injury. For a while I thought I was going to be able to do it but once I got released and realized what college softball is about and the standards, I realized it wasn’t something my back could hold up with and wasn’t something I could do in my condition.”

The Red Ledger: What would be advice you give to athletes who are dealing with injuries?

Cunningham: “Buy some bubble wrap. No, stay patient and don’t let it get to you too much. No matter how hard it is, it’s better to stay positive about the situation and stay supportive to your teammates.”

The Red Ledger: What is your overall most memorable softball related experience?

Cunningham: “The home run I hit that got me my first car sophomore year. My first home run got me my first car.”

The Red Ledger: What do you do outside of softball?

Cunningham: “Hang out with my friends, try and do school work, but mostly softball related things. I literally go straight from school practice to a hitting lesson or something softball related.”

The Red Ledger: Graduating in just a few weeks, what do you think your life will be like without softball?

Cunningham: “I don’t even want to think about it, its going to be really weird. I think about it a lot but can never actually imagine it. I see myself having a lot of free time and not knowing what to do with it.”

The Red Ledger: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Cunningham: “I hope to be married by then, maybe a kid. Probably be a physical therapist. I’m not sure, it’s a really long time away.”