From the softball diamond to city hall, Lily Williams responds to the call of duty.
Williams is the starting pitcher for the Cedar Hill Lady Longhorns. Her mother works for the city manager and mayor’s office, and she volunteers for the DeSoto city manager’s office.
Oh, and she’s a standout student at Cedar Hill Collegiate High School.
“When I volunteer at the DeSoto city manager’s office, I mostly put things together and help prepare for different events. I do other administrative work like taking messages,” Williams said. “When I volunteer at the DeSoto Library, I shelve books and help prepare for different events in the library.”
While it’s too early to say whether she will enter public service herself—though it’s obvious she loves to serve—Williams is getting a glimpse of what’s available should she choose that path in her career.
“I see the behind-the-scenes effort of everything that takes place in the city and when setting up different events,” she said.
Of course, working for a city often requires some hard decisions in challenging moments. But then, so can sports, such as she learned as a freshman when she began the season as the starting pitcher and then moved to shortstop and third.
“I was relieved because at the beginning of the season, when I was the only pitcher, it felt daunting to have to pitch the entire softball season the way I had to pitch the entire fall ball,” she recalled.
She said the situation helped her become a better player. Now, following Khaylani Bailey’s injury, she’s once again the starting pitcher.
“When Khaylani joined the team, it completely lifted the pressure of being the starting varsity pitcher as a freshman and allowed me to develop into the pitcher that I am today without forcing me to rush in my development to compete with the other schools in our district,” she said. “Shortstop was my main position before I started pitching, and returning to it during my freshman year felt like home. Returning to shortstop also allowed my softball team to utilize the best of my abilities at the time.
“Through my development last year and over the summer, I can work through it and bring my best in every game.”
Cedar Hill coach Regis Andrez praised Williams for her performance after returning to the spotlight as the team’s ace.
“She has put the team first and is doing a great job. She is learning more every day to be effective and efficient in the circle,” Andrez said. Lily is a sponge when it comes to learning and applying information about the game.”
As a freshman, Williams earned second-team All-District 11-6A honors. As the leadoff hitter, she was also the team MVP last season.
“Since joining the program she has had a crucial role in the growth of the program. She is a leader and an amazing scholar athlete,” Andrez said. “I am proud of her growth over the offseason and can not wait to see what the future holds for her as an upperclassman.”Â
The Glenn Heights resident comes from a sports family. Both of her parents played softball and other sports, such as football, basketball, and volleyball.
In school, Williams is challenging herself in the classroom. She is taking many courses, and though she’s only a sophomore, several are already preparing her for when she gets to college.
“I plan on studying architecture in college because I want to repair and restore traditional architectural buildings and landmarks so that they can last for future generations to study and admire them,” she said.
As for playing softball in college, she said, “If I get an offer to a college that interests me then I would play for that college in whatever position they can best utilize me in.”
