Beneath the hard exterior of a Lady Bulldog slugger beats the heart of a poet.

To look at Deanna Butts, one would probably have a more difficult time believing the ex-cheerleader was a slugger than a poet.

But her 2-3 performance at the plate with 4 RBI against Cathedral Tuesday was pretty typical of the senior’s play all year long.

&uot;I’ve been playing softball for so long it seems natural,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s something that you can just keep working harder and harder with.&uot;

Butts had not planned on continuing to play softball when she attends Florida State University next year, but with her senior season drawing to a close, she’s having second thoughts.

&uot;I thought it was just a high school thing, but you never know,&uot; she said. &uot;I say every year that I’m not going to play again, but every time summer rolls around, here I am.&uot;

College will provide a variety of challenges, from the fast-pitch softball played at FSU to the medical program she wishes to follow in order to study respiratory therapy.

It was her love of both medicine and softball that forced her to quit cheerleading, she said. After her sophomore year, she took a job keeping medical records at Dr. Arnold Feldman’s office. The time commitment left room for only one extra-curricular activity.

&uot;I picked softball,&uot; she said.

She does still have time, however, to draw and write poetry.

&uot;I pretty much write about whatever pops in my head, she said. &uot;And about my dad, who passed away.&uot;

Butts lives with mother and step-father, Brenda and Doug Honeycutt, and has a 19-year-old brother, Michael Wayne Butts Jr.

When asked what she has learned from playing softball, her first answer is that of the slugger.

&uot;A team that hustles can’t be beat,&uot; she said. &uot;If you stay focused, you can win every time.&uot;

Her second answer was that of the poet.

&uot;If you dig deep into your heart, anything is possible,&uot; she said.