WINTER PARK, Fla — Trinity Prep’s McKenna Hawley is among the best in getting strikeouts in the state. She reached the 1,000th strikeout milestone, earlier this year in just her junior season.

Hawley said she believes her competitive drive gives her an edge over her peers.

"I’m honestly very competitive," she said. "I enjoy (that softball is) an individual and also team sport."

Hawley grew up playing many different sports — basketball and soccer as well as softball — and she even danced in ballet.

But ever since she enrolled at Trinity Prep, she has been on the varsity softball team.

"I’ve been playing for six years now on varsity, and I have been playing since sixth grade," she said.

She didn’t play much that first year, but that changed the following season.

"In seventh grade, being one of the only pitchers, I started a lot of games," she said. "And by eighth grade, I was the main pitcher."

Hawley uses five to six different pitches during a game, which helped her reach that 1,000-strikeout milestone, and she is proud of the accomplishment.

"It just really exciting to know that I have left a mark at this school and people in younger grades can look up to me," she said.

That success on the field will give her a chance to compete at the next level.

"I have verbally committed to play at UCF," Hawley said. "Not only do they strive to be the best on the field, they also strive to be the best people and the best in the community, and that is something I really love."

But before she leaves for UCF, McKenna still has goals to accomplish at Trinity Prep. She said she believes the team’s continuity will help the team reach its potential.

"A lot of these girls have been on the team since eighth grade, and we have been a team that has grown together," Hawley said. "It used to be kind of young, and now we are getting kind of older and that is why these next couple of years are going to be our peak years."