The last few off-seasons, Centennial softball coach Katie Grimm has faced a dilemma.
At her disposal was the ultimate weapon, a player capable of playing any position on the diamond. The challenge, however, was taking that star — Emily Allen — and continually finding the best use for those talents.
"When you have an ace like Emily, you really do have to figure out where she is going to make the greatest impact and fill the greatest need each particular season. I literally feel like, with her work ethic, you could ask her to play anywhere and she would do what she had to in order to be the best player on the field," Grimm said. "So I would say that's why you saw her play different positions each of the last three years — each team needed her in different ways."
The truth is, whether it was as a first baseman as a sophomore, a shortstop as a junior, or as a catcher this past spring as a senior, Allen continually proved to be one of the best in the area. The dynamic all-around star was a leader defensively from Day 1, while also finishing as the Eagles' top hitter in terms of RBIs each of the last three seasons.
It's all added up to a high school resume that ranks up there among the county's all-time greats, featuring career marks of 115 RBIs, 108 hits and now the distinction of being the 2016 Howard County Times/Columbia Flier softball Player of the Year.
"I don't think it's all completely sunk in, all the career numbers and reaching those milestones and how big it all is, but I definitely have realized along the way how lucky I've been to have good lead-off hitters and people hitting in front of me. They have put me in position to be successful," Allen said. "I know I definitely wouldn't have done any of this without my teammates, like my sister (Camryn) getting on base the last two years in the leadoff spot or all the other girls working so hard around me. When you look at it, RBIs especially are a team thing … I've just tried to do my part, I guess."
Allen's part this season as a senior included her first full-time duty at catcher, where she called practically every game and managed the pitching staff. It also meant hitting in the No. 3 spot in the line-up and doing what she does best — driving in runs.
This spring, Allen finished among the top three in Howard County in batting average (.623 — first), RBIs (42), doubles (13), home runs (5) and triples (3). And it was because of her efforts in big spots that Centennial as a team finished above .500 in county play for the second straight season after finishing with losing records the previous two years.
"I think I became a lot more focused compared to my freshman and sophomore years in terms of putting the ball in play any way I could," Allen said. "I did a lot of work with my travel coach with Wagners (Kenny Magersupp) on focusing on the ball all the way through contact. It all kind of clicked and I saw huge improvement."
Along the way this year, Allen had some huge games. Against Oakland Mills she hit a grand slam over Centennial's center-field fence — one of the deepest parts on any field in the county. Allen calls it the highlight of her season. She also shined in road games against River Hill (4-4, 2 home runs, 2 doubles and 6 RBIs) and Glenelg (3-4, double, home run, 3 RBIs), among others.
The River Hill game was particularly memorable, as Allen's final hit of the day — a double with the bases loaded — helped her pass the 100-RBI milestone.
As for the move to catcher, Grimm says the conversation took place well before the season began. And Allen, apparently, was on the same wave length.
"Emily has this coaching presence about her, where she has always been able to see what I see. So when we sat down and started discussing what the team needed from her, we both kind of realized that catcher made the most sense," Grimm said. "The way she reads the game and picks things up, her leadership and presence behind the plate was invaluable."
Allen, who had previously caught a few innings on occasion in her previous few seasons, said she grew to love the position.
"I really like being aggressive, trying to pick people off or throw people out … that part of it is really fun," she said. "But I also like calling games and Grimm let me call the pitches this year, which was a huge jump in responsibility. But I liked the challenge of that, getting to know all the hitters and what they were trying to do, and then calling pitches to make them uncomfortable."
Allen is also a star on the volleyball court, making second-team all-county this past fall. But she says she's known for quite some time that she wanted to pursue softball collegiately.
In fact, Allen committed to play softball at Salisbury University all the way back at the end of her sophomore year.
"I've always thought I was a little bit better at softball compared to volleyball because it came a little more naturally to me. I've felt that I could compete a little better with those better girls in softball," Allen said. "It was still a hard decision deciding to quit playing travel volleyball my junior year and really putting all my extra time into softball when I committed to Salisbury, but looking back now it was the right decision."
As for what she leaves behind, Grimm says it's just as much about the example Allen set for those around her as it is about the gaudy numbers she put up.
"Besides the legacy of being Centennial's first softball Player of the Year in a long time, it's her work ethic and her knowledge of the game that she has passed down to the younger girls that will live on for hopefully many years to come," Grimm said. "She really has left a lasting impression on this program."
Named to the all-county first team are:
Pitcher