CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WTKR) — When she's not at the plate or in the field, Hickory's Alena Demakas can be found on the top step of the team's dugout.
She's taken on the role of not only shortstop but the team's biggest supporter.
"These are the girls that I had in eighth grade when they were in sixth grade," she said. "It feels like a mom-kid relationship."
Demakas has been through plenty in her time with the Hawks, including back-to-back state championship appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Now in her final campaign, the senior has plenty of advice to give to help the the next crop experience that same level of success.
"You can tell that this team, we have a young team," Demakas said. "We need to feel them and they need to feel like they can lean on me, talk to me."
"She's got a little bit of me in her," said Hickory head coach Shane Smith. "She's a spark plug and she gets on the kids and makes sure everybody is in the right frame of mind."
Whether its a kick in the pants or a pat on the back, the captain is ready for whatever the moment requires.
"I feel like if you don't give than what's the point," she said.
Helping others is something she'll do in her future. The King University commit already has her sights set on becoming an orthodontist.
"I love the dentist! I know I'm kind of weird for that but I know I'm going to have a pretty great opportunity for that," Demakas said. "Even talking to my roommate there, I told her I wanted to be an orthodontist and she said, 'You're crazy.'"
Her main goal in her last campaign is simple; to finally climb the mountain and claim that state title. Beyond the trophy, however, Demakas wanting to leave a legacy of selfless before selfish.
"You have to have that trust, and I'm able to lean on these girls and they're able to lean on me," she said.
