SBLive Arkansas 2022-23 girls athlete of the year: Stanford signee Alyssa Houston is one of the best to ever compete in Arkansas prep sports

By Kyle Sutherland 

Alyssa Houston put together one of the more decorated resumes of any multi-sport athlete to ever play in Arkansas. 

As a pitcher and third baseman for the Benton softball team, Houston was a two-time Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year and two-time unanimous Player of the Year across Arkansas sports media. She led the Lady Panthers to three consecutive Class 5A state championships earning MVP in 2022-23, as well as helping the team finish nationally ranked the past two seasons.

Houston was also a three-time all-state selection for Benton's basketball team, averaging a double-double every season of her varsity career. 

For her efforts, SBLive has named Houston the 2022-23 SBLiveArkansas Female Athlete of the Year. 

"My high school career was absolutely phenomenal because of my coaches and teammates," Houston said. "Our coaches are always going to support you in whatever you do and I feel like that kind of helped me get where I needed to be recruited."

Before heading to the West Coast in September to play softball at Stanford, Houston will compete with her travel team, Iowa Premier 18U, over the summer.

It was with Iowa Premier last summer that Stanford observed Houston, the 36th-best player in the Class of 2023 per Extra Inning Softball's Elite 100. 

While Houston has had the opportunity to display her talents against top national competition, she has certainly proved her worth each and every time out against Arkansas' best.

During Houston's sophomore and junior campaigns, the Lady Panthers posted unprecedented back-to-back undefeated seasons totaling 64 victories. 

Benton was expected to take a step back in 2023 after graduating five key contributors, but still possessed plenty of talent to build around Houston. The Lady Panthers proved the doubters wrong, finishing 29-4 and completed the first state championship three-peat in school history. 

As the ace in the circle, Houston struck out 254 batters in 110.2 innings and compiled an incredible .50 earned run average while holding opposing batters to a .067 batting average. She was just as dominant at the plate with a .687/.738/1.361 slash line as well as 13 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, and 52 runs batted in.

"I felt like we made history and many people were like 'Whoah'," Houston said. "We did lose a lot of people and we knew we were going to be a younger team, but to compete the way we competed is phenomenal." 

Benton softball head coach Heidi Cox knew immediately that the 2023 season would bring some growing pains, but having Houston back would help ease it. 

"Alyssa understood what she had around her and she had a great team that helped push some runs across," Cox said. "There was just so much confidence in her and she was never going to ask anything of anyone that she was not going to do herself.

"In her mindset there was never a slow pace. It was 100% because if she was asking them to work hard she was going to do it too."

Cox put together a Hall of Fame career under the late legendary coach Alvy Early at Arkansas-Monticello in the late-90s and early 2000s. As both a player and coach who has been around the game for a long time, Cox has zero doubt that Houston made her mark as one of the state's elite and has heard opposing coaches say the same.

"I am biased because she is one of our players, but yes I do feel that way," Cox said. "To hear other coaches talk of her that way and have so much respect for her I think that is really cool."

When Houston was not smashing home runs and shutting opposing batters down, she gave basketball coaches on the opposite bench headaches. 

As a senior, Houston and the Lady Panthers won the 5A-South championship getting through conference play unbeaten and finished in the state tournament with a 24-4 record. Houston averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per contest.

Lady Panthers head basketball coach Jerry Chumley mentioned that Houston not only demanded full attention from opponents with her abilities, but also in the way she carried herself as a leader amongst her teammates.

"She commanded that locker room and the practice floor probably the most of any player that I am aware of," Chumley said. "Your best player is supposed to be your hardest worker and she epitomized that. She brought it every single day and never asked for a light practice."

Houston pondered the idea of playing basketball at the next level, but figured out pretty quick that softball was her future and Chumley understood that. 

"When she had stuff to do, we did not worry about it because she was going to come back and work," he said. "There is not a lazy bone in her body, so if she missed some practice or team camps we never worried about it because we knew the effort she was going to put in to catch back up."

Houston not only puts her best into athletics, but also thrives in the classroom, graduating with a 4.14 GPA. She plans to major in nursing at Stanford with a minor in psychology. 

“You just cannot really beat that education,” Houston said. “They are just continuing to grow, and I also like the coaching style because it fits my style, too, so it was just really nice to kind of have somewhere I felt comfortable and was a good fit. It was good to know that I fit in.”

Speaking of Stanford softball, the program is currently as strong as it has been in two decades. Under head coach Jessica Allister, the Cardinal have reached the postseason in four of the past six years and this season earned their first trip to the Women's College World Series since 2004, finishing tied for third place with Tennessee. 

One of the top reasons Stanford made it that far was the pitching of freshman phenom NiJaree Canady, who was named the NFCA National Freshman of the Year. Canady struck out 214 batters in 132 innings earning 17 victories and compiled an eye-popping .58 earned run average. 

"To be with NiJa is going to be remarkable," Houston said. "I feel like we are the same, but so different. To be able to pick up what she has learned while being in the spotlight is going to be amazing because it is just power against power."

The relationship with Allister, as well as pitching coach Tori Nyberg, were other pros that led to Houston picking Stanford because of not only their love for the game, but their players.

"I love my coaches, they are so fun and remind me of the Benton coaches because they are so loving," Houston said. "They really just know my personal life, I tell them stuff and it makes me realize that these coaches are invested in what I say. 

"I love Coach Nyberg, she is phenomenal. I can not wait for her to work her magic on me because she feels like I can be better and I agree."