Matt Vines

STANLEY – “If you ain’t got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

That’s how Stanley softball player Aubrey Hubier ended a team meeting in September, and it turned out to be Hubier’s last words to her teammates.

Hubier died in a utility terrain vehicle accident Sept. 23, but her presence has remained a critical part of the Lady Panthers.

Stanley (19-13) earned the No. 6 seed in Division V Non-Select and embarks on its playoff journey Wednesday against No. 11 Holden (10-16) at 5:30 p.m.

Coach Josh Foshee said Hubier’s last words have been a motto for the team, although they certainly don’t apply to the carefree senior. The team talks about Aubrey often.

“We’ve kind of lived by those words as a team this season,” said softball coach Josh Foshee. “It’s been tough, but one thing we’ve done – we’ve talked about her, we’ve remembered her.

“We keep her as close as we possibly can, and we honor her every chance we get. It helps ease the pain, but it’s nothing you get used to.”

Wednesday is probably the last time Lady Panthers will play at home this season, the last time the team will run and touch Aubrey’s picture in the No. 1 jersey and pray beside it. Aubrey has angel wings in that senior poster.

Hubier patrolled the outfield with fellow senior Christian Barton, but Barton has been the lone senior voice on the team this season without her “best friend.”

Foshee said Hubier was a “straight shooter.”

“Aubrey told you exactly what she was feeling,” Foshee said. “She was true to herself, and you knew exactly what you were going to get from her.

“She was an all-around good kid, fun to be around. She was a carefree player – the game never bothered her or got to be big for her. She was really coming around as an outfielder, and we were expecting a standout season from her. She had definitely grown as an athlete and a player, and she had raw power.”

Barton’s voice and Hubier’s presence will be guiding forces for a Stanley team that starts two seventh-graders, two eighth-graders and one freshman.

Youth hasn’t kept the Lady Panthers from notching huge wins, although the young team has had to navigate through typical inconsistencies.

Stanley appeared to be on its way to an outright District 3-B title, but a loss to Converse meant the Lady Panthers had to share that title.

But the Lady Panthers knocked off Benton and Natchitoches Central in its next two games, only to fall to St. Fredrick and Simsboro in its final two regular season contests.

Foshee said he and his staff preaches to play the game the same way regardless of the opponent, and Stanley’s youth might be a bonus when Holden visits for the second-round playoff game.

A young Stanley team won’t know that Holden has won three state titles since 2017, which included knocking off Stanley in that 2017 championship game.

Stanley did beat Holden earlier this season, 8-7, in an early March game in the Quitman tournament.

On Wednesday, the Lady Panthers will have the roar of the home crowd behind them, and likely one last chance to pray in front of Aubrey’s senior poster.

“The support of your town, you can’t describe it in words when you see the whole field surrounded by people watching,” Foshee said about the Stanley faithful, especially during the 2017 run to the state championship game. “When you start with as many young kids as we have, you kind of think about building for the future.

“But these kids have embraced and accepted the challenge, and they’ve played well this season. You just focus on the small things you have to do, control the ball, and focus on yourselves. For the most part, I don’t think they’ll look over and pay attention to the ‘Holden’ on the front of the jersey.”

Aubrey was part of Stanley teams that reached the quarterfinals in each of the past three seasons, and this young squad will aim to make a fourth straight trip (fifth straight overall dating back to 2019).

No matter where Stanley may play next, Aubrey’s name, and her presence, will be there.